


Click on my Heart

by CocoaChoux



Series: COMH-verse [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beauty Guru Eren, Child Annie Leonhart, Child Armin Arlert, Child Mikasa Ackerman, Domestic Fluff, Embarrassment, Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Fluff, Gamer Levi, Gen, Genderfluid Eren, K-pop References, Mutual Pining, No Angst, Other, Pastel Eren, Pining Levi, Punk Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Slow Build, YouTube, terms of endearment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-04-05 20:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 58
Words: 140,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4194519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CocoaChoux/pseuds/CocoaChoux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a well-known, full-time let’s player on YouTube who just so happens to take care of his deceased relative’s child. Content with his punk/gamer life, he did not expect to one day click on a video of fellow YouTuber, QueenPastelEren. He especially did not expect to be so smitten within the first few seconds of watching the pastel goddess with green and gold eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flower Crowns

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Čeština available: [Click on my Heart (CZ)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8155762) by [callmebrat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmebrat/pseuds/callmebrat)



> First actual fanfic! Inspired by [foxicology](http://foxicology.tumblr.com/tagged/pastel-eren-tag)'s Pastel!Eren tag (which you should check out because it's amazing).
> 
> ***There's a **Spanish translation** [here!](https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12013953/1/Hope)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Press play and enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Edit (22/06/16):** Hello all~ It's been a year since I first published this story and I wanted to take a look back and see how far I've come. Originally, this fic was supposed to be the only fic I would ever write and be done with it after 10 or so chapters (hence why I threw every trope I could think of in here haha!) but obviously that didn't happen. The more and more I wrote, the more fun I had talking with you readers and being more involved with the fandom. This fic changed my perspective as a fan to someone who now contributes to the fandom that they love. ♥
> 
> On another note (just for clarification), I would like to point out that Eren's genderfluidity in this fic is meant to be represented. This is _not_ a fic about someone's in-depth experiences of being genderfluid or someone who's discovering their identity so please do not think that this fic is 100% accurate about what it is to be genderfluid (but it may help you think about what gender means to you just like how it helped me). I have talked to many genderfluid readers who vary in responses about how they perceive genderfluidity and not all are the same: some dress differently depending on what gender they want to present as while others don't, some want to be addressed in different pronouns depending while others just have one, some experience dysphoria while others never did, etc., and found that everyone is somewhere along the spectrum and it's hard to have one set of experiences that doesn't neglect what others also struggle with. While Eren's genderfluidity is not the main focus of this story, it is an important part of Eren's identity and the chapters will showcase that. 
> 
> This story is about love, acceptance, and communication. It may seem a bit too "unrealistic" on certain aspects, but this fic is supposed to bring you joy, smiles, comfort, and maybe hope for a better tomorrow. (Seriously, fluff and humour is what you should expect and not sadness.) 
> 
> I'm currently editing this whole thing because I want to look back and improve on the storyline/dialogue/grammar a bit so if you're re-reading this and notice something off, it's just not you, it's me. :P 
> 
> Thank you so much for helping me grow and if you're new... hello there! I hope you enjoy the long ride! :D

_“And there you have it! A super cute flower crown you can make without spending a lot.”_

“Oh no.”

Levi bit his lips as he stared at the screen in front of him. There were a series of close-ups of a young man wearing the flower crown that he just made. His head was tilted and he batted his lashes to the camera and a coy smile on his face.

_“I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you have any other requests, please comment down below. And if you’ve re-created this or any of my tutorials, make sure to share it on my Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter. Details and links are in the description. See you lovelies in the next video, bye bye!”_

The video finally ended with the brunet winked and blew a kiss before it faded to black. Levi blankly stared at the various thumbnails that popped up that linked to the other videos the brunet made.

Fuck.

That was not supposed to happen.

Levi pushed himself away from his desk where his computer and game consoles were and quickly made his way across the room. Reaching his bed, he ungracefully fell on it, stayed there for a moment, before shifting up the bed to grab one of the pillows and proceeding to bury his face in the fluffy material.

_Fuck._

He was trying his best not to let out an embarrassing noise, his heart beating wildly against his chest, but it was hard considering that he is probably going through a religious experience because he saw the light and it was in the form of a beautiful goddess with the biggest, brightest eyes Levi has ever seen – _‘green and gold,’_ Levi hummed to himself – sun-kissed skin, and soft brown hair wearing the just-made flower crown.

Oh, and his smile. The moment Levi saw that smile coming from those luscious lavender lips, a feeling of warmth emitted through his heart and travelled down to his toes and back up to his head, making him dizzy from the new, sudden feeling.

Levi allowed himself to rub his face on his pillow and deeply sighed. Turning his body over to lay his back flat on the bed, he repositioned himself so that his head lay on the other pillows.

Eren, huh?

The black-haired man turned his head where his computer was. The screen was still on, as though it was trying to entice him back to click on the other videos to see more of the brunet.

Sighing again, Levi averted his attention to the red ceiling above him holding a small black chandelier (he may have punk-ish like fashion choices, but he still had class). The pale man closed his silver eyes and his mind wandered off, wondering how he got into this situation in the first place; a blob of black hair and impassive eyes entered his vision.

Oh, right. Mikasa.

Fluttering his eyes open, he mumbled to himself, recalling his trip with his ‘daughter’ at the mall a few days ago to buy some school supplies.

Mikasa, though technically not his own child, was the least maintenance child any parent would hope for (not that Levi was bragging or anything). She did her school work diligently, participated in every sport offered in the community centre, did her chores without much complaint, and went to bed on time. The 10-year-old was quiet for the most part and didn’t ask for much, so imagine Levi’s surprise when she stopped mid-step in the mall and stared into an accessory store.

Confused, Levi followed her gaze to see an assortment of flower crowns on display. That was interesting; Mikasa wasn’t normally one to look for new accessories or clothes as she was content with what she already has. (Actually, most of her clothes were bought by Isabel and Hange, claiming that Levi would just make her wear black all day before he kicked them out.) She took a tentative step towards the store but froze, turning back to look up to her guardian, silently asking if she can go inside.

Well, he couldn’t say no when she looked at him with her innocent eyes now, can he?

With a small nod, Mikasa gave him a small smile and quickly walked into the store to where the crowns were. Levi followed behind her slowly, and politely denied the store attendant’s offer of help. Though, he probably scared her off without needing to say anything considering the way that he looked like in his outfit in a posh-like store, but he didn’t give a fuck what people thought about what he wore. He walked over to where Mikasa was, and it was almost cute to see her eyes lit up with joy as she looked at the wall full of different colors and shapes of flowers.

Okay, it was adorable to see her stoic face turn into one of happiness, but Levi wasn’t going to voice it out loud.

After watching her walk back and forth in front of the display, he crouched down to her eye-level. “I didn’t know that you liked flower crowns, Mikasa.”

“Mom used to make me one every time we went to the park,” Mikasa replied, diverting her attention back to the flowers.

Ah, so that was why.

Levi pursed his lips a bit and tried to think of something. It has been about two years since the death of his distant relatives, but the memories of her parents were still fresh in Mikasa’s mind. With a quiet sigh, Levi reached over to one of the flower crowns, looked at the price tag, and immediately let go of it.

Seriously? That’s the price for an oversized rubber band with five flimsy flowers?

Even though Levi wasn’t exactly pressed for money, but even _he_ thought he could do a better job. He looked around and with a frown, noticed they were all similar in quality, or the color and flower combinations were atrocious, making Levi wonder who designed these things. After some thought, he looked back to Mikasa.

“How about I make you one?” Levi suggested, after grabbing the little girl’s attention.

She looked at him, blinking once, twice, before tilting her head. “But you don’t know how.”

Levi shook one of his fingers in front of her face. “Don’t underestimate me, brat. I’ll have you know that I can make whatever it is... so long as there’s a video tutorial on the Internet.” He bopped her nose with his finger and slowly got up to stand.

“I’m not a brat and you’re a dork,” Mikasa mumbled as she scrunched her nose a bit. Even so, she let out another small smile and grabbed his hand as they walked out the store, wondering how Levi would manage to make her a flower crown.

_Knock knock knock._

Levi slowly opened his eyes, realizing he closed them at some point. Huh, he probably took a nap or something. “Come in,” he said, slowly sitting up on the bed.

The door opened with a squeak – _‘I need to fix that,’_ Levi reminded to himself – and Mikasa poked her head in.

“Hey, ‘Kasa, what is it?”

“Dinner?”

“Oh, it’s that late already?” he yawned as he stretched. His belly growled to answer his question. “How about pizza?”

Mikasa pouted. “We’ve had pizza two times this week already.”

“I know, sorry. We’ll go grocery shopping after school tomorrow, okay?”

Pleased with the answer, Mikasa let herself into the room and headed towards the computer to order their usual online. Levi got off from the bed and remade his impeccable bed as she did her thing.

_“QueenPastelEren?”_

Levi whipped his head. _‘Oh shit,’_ Levi thought. The stupid screen was still on.

Before Levi could defend himself, Mikasa turned to look at him with a big grin on her face. “You like to watch her too?”

“Her?”

“Yeah! Or, well, sometimes. Eren is a boy sometimes too but is a girl in her beauty videos,” Mikasa explained.

“I see.”

Mikasa looked back at the screen and Levi could _hear_ the smile in her voice. “DIY Pretty Pastel Flower Crowns?”

Levi groaned. There was no way out of this one. Mikasa, giving him some mercy, opened a new tab and quickly placed their pizza dinner order. Goodness, kids are quick to adapt to technology these days. With dinner covered, Mikasa spun the chair around so she can look at Levi properly.

“You know, I’m actually a big fan of Eren.”

“You are?” Levi asked skeptically, sitting on the edge of the freshly-made bed.

“Yup,” Mikasa replied. “Whenever I’m at Auntie Isabel’s house, we watch a whole bunch of Eren’s videos.”

Levi crossed his arms and legs and raised one of his pierced eyebrows. “So, what’s it about Eren that you like them so much?” He was curious. He himself was a full-time YouTuber as well, but he played video games and hosted live streams. From what he saw, that flower crown tutorial video almost has 500k views, and judging from the content of the video, it didn’t look like those viral ones. It seemed as though Eren has a lot of subscribers and Levi was rather intrigued about how he didn’t know about this person before.

“What’s not to like about Eren? The videos are really informative, and it ranges from beauty to DIY, and also baking! Remember those cupcakes we made a few weeks ago? I learned how to decorate them from Eren! Eren’s super pretty, especially the eyes, and- oh! Eren also has a vlog channel called _KingPastelEren_ – masculine pronouns for those – where he shows his viewers his everyday life and does those weird challenges and tagging stuff that’s popular. Eren has about two million subscribers on her original beauty channel alone, and she even receives sponsor offers from various makeup companies. Eren is super awesome!”

Levi was stunned. He has never seen Mikasa so animated, or so excited talking about someone. Actually, this was probably the first time ever that she has spoken so much in one sitting.

“What about you? What do you think about Eren?”

The teasing lit in her voice caught him off guard. He sputtered a bit and he could feel the blush rising to the tips of his ears. He quickly turned his head away. “Nothing really. I only saw one video.” Levi shrugged in order to end the conversation. But, going by the questioning hum directed his way, it would seem that she wasn’t ready to let this go.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang and Levi quickly got up and grabbed his wallet. “Pizza’s here. Go set the table.”

“Okayyy,” Mikasa replied in a sing-song voice.

Ah, great. Dinner was going to be an interesting affair.


	2. Omurice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction of some new characters and family bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say, thank you all so much! I am blown away with the amount of people who're interested in this story. It makes me even more motivated to complete it.  (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

“Whoa big bro, what happened to you?” Isabel asked the moment she went through the front doors. Farlan followed behind her and gave his friend a concerned look before closing the door behind him.

Levi sent her a half-hearted glare and moved towards the kitchen where he was in the middle of making a fresh pot of black tea. Isabel strolled behind him and sat in her usual spot at the kitchen island and watched Levi while Farlan moved to the cupboards and grabbed three mugs for them. When the tea finished steeping, Levi poured the hot liquid into each mug before moving towards the island, grabbing two of the mugs. Isabel accepted the tea and Farlan grabbed his own mug and sat down right next to her, with Levi sitting across the both of them.

Isabel took a sip of her tea before looking at Levi straight in the eye. Here it comes. “Okay, spill. What happened?”

Levi took a few sips from his mug before placing it down. How does one go about this? There was no need to beat around the bush with it, especially with his two childhood friends. With a shrug, Levi replied, “I think I’m in love.”

Not expecting that kind of answer, Farlan started choking on his tea and spilled it everywhere, causing a little fiasco where Isabel unnecessarily beating his back while Levi cleaned and disinfected the mess.

After swallowing some sugar courtesy of Levi, Farlan coughed a little bit before looking at Levi. “Geez, I know you’re blunt, but give us a little warning before dropping a bomb like that,” Farlan said as he rubbed his throat.

“You found someone?! Who is it? What’s their name? What’re they like? How tall are they? Well, it’s not that hard to find someone tall-” Isabel’s interrogation was cut short by Farlan clamping his hand over her mouth.

Levi could always rely on Farlan to stop Isabel when she gets overly excited, especially when it came to his (lack of) love life.

Mentally preparing himself, he started answering her questions. “I can’t really say I found someone, as that person doesn’t know I exist. And you already know that person, not too sure about Farlan though. Does _QueenPastelEren_ ring a bell?”

Isabel froze in place and Farlan simply stared. A silent cloud loomed over the group before Isabel broke out into a huge grin.

“OH MY- ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DOES HANGE KNOW ABOUT THIS? I HAVE TO TELL THEM,” Isabel exclaimed as she whipped out her cellphone. Already anticipating her action, Levi quickly snatched her phone away.

Farlan finally broke out into a grin that matched Isabel’s. “I see that you finally found the Queen’s channel.”

Pushing Isabel away while she was trying to take her phone back, Levi asked looked at him questionably. “The Queen?”

Phone momentarily forgotten, Isabel jumped into the conversation. “Yup! _QueenPastelEren_ is also known as the ‘Queen’ amongst all the beauty gurus on YouTube. Well, it’s not unthinkable you wouldn’t know since all you’re concerned with is your Gamerscore and doing walkthroughs.” Isabel said with a shrug. She made a note to get her phone back later.

Levi nodded. That made sense. He wondered why there were so many comments on Eren’s videos (that he binged watch, the kid has over 500 videos and Levi had a lot of pretty to see) that go along the lines of, “The Queen is slaying it again,” or “Hail the Queen.” The gorgeous brunet had about two million subscribers compared to Levi’s five million, but obviously, Eren had a bigger female fan base than he did. And Eren was always making an effort to interact with the fans by replying to comments, doing a lot of giveaways, or even hosting meet-ups in different cities (which, to Levi’s displeasure, he just missed the one in LA when Eren was doing a collab with another YouTuber). Suffice to say, the more Levi learned about Eren, the more his affection grew.

And he was smitten. Utterly, utterly smitten with the pastel beauty.

Isabel and Farlan noticed Levi’s small smile as he looked down at his cool tea, and gave each other smug grins.

“Well, as much as we would love to talk about your new love interest, we got work to do,” Farlan said. Oh no, they’re not done with grilling Levi with questions yet. But for now, they were just happy that they now have material to tease him later with.

Happy with the change in conversation, Levi nodded. “Right. Hopefully, today is the last day of the stupid _I Am Bread_  playthrough. Hell, just seeing the two of you play makes me want to smash my expensive computer and quit playing video games in general.”

“Hey! We would have finished it a while ago if Farlan used the mouse properly!” Isabel defended.

“No, you are the one who keeps on pressing the buttons when the grip gauge was clearly running low,” Farlan replied.

The two continued to bicker as the trio entered the “game room” (as Mikasa calls it). Levi’s channel, HueManateesStrongest (it was a long story, but it definitely involved a drunk Hange), uploaded five videos a week like clockwork. Each day was different: Mondays were his StupidQuit videos, where he plays a game as long as he can trying to beat it before quitting because of how dumb the game was; Tuesdays were requested playthroughs, where he plays the most popular requested game by his viewers; Wednesdays were FPS playthroughs; Thursdays were his infamous horror/indie game walkthroughs; and Fridays were his live streams he lovingly named, ‘DumbPlay’, where he played games with his friends.

Even though it wasn’t Friday, there were many requests of playing I Am Bread with Isabel and Farlan while Levi does the commentary. Levi’s popularity was largely based off of his incredible video gaming skills along with hilarious one-liners and “I-don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude. Apparently his interaction with his two friends from an earlier video sparked a few demands from Levi’s viewers for more videos of the three.

After a few hours of yelling, the keyboard and mouse were thrown off the desk at least three times, and subtle jabs at Levi’s expense, the duo left the house, claiming that they would be back on Friday for the live stream. Great.

Levi finished cleaning up the mess and was about to go start editing the video until the front door opened.

“I’m home,” Mikasa said as she removed her shoes and placing her stuff in the closet. In the Ackerman household, everything was always in order.

“Welcome back, kiddo. How was studying?” Levi asked as he slowly walked over to her and crouched, opening his arms out.

“Good. I finished homework for the week,” Mikasa replied as she gave him a hug.

Levi hugged her back. Even though the first few times they did it was super awkward, it has now become a routine for them, most likely because it gave Mikasa fond memories of her old home and a sense of familiarity.

“Did you eat yet?” Levi asked as he pulled apart from her a bit and brushing the bangs away from her face.

“No. Uncle Erwin and Uncle Mike suggested that I stay for dinner, but I didn’t want to impose.”

“You’re using words that someone your age shouldn’t know yet. I’m guessing Armin’s to blame?”

Mikasa giggled a bit and nodded.

Even though Mikasa was a bright kid, it was actually quite frightening how smart Armin was. He could probably skip a few grades and wouldn’t fall behind. He was usually seen carrying course books for the next school year (always the over-achiever that one), or large novels that have about a thousand pages and no pictures. Then again, Armin was the adoptive child of the two biggest and macho-est dorks possible, Erwin and Mike. The two of them were huge bookworms and have a decently-sized library in their house, so it was a given that their child was an avid reader at a young age.

“Well then,” Levi said as he got up. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Can we use one of Eren’s recipes?” Mikasa asked with some mischief in her eyes.

Levi stopped in his tracks and looked down at her. She looked back with an innocent look, but her mouth was twitching upwards as though she was suppressing the urge to smirk. Ah, the kid has been hanging around with him for too long.

“Uh, sure. Go grab the laptop.” Fuck it, she already knew, there was no need to hide it.

Mikasa’s attempt of a smirk turned into a grin and she ran upstairs where the laptop was. In the meantime, Levi went back to the kitchen to clean the area a bit more and grabbed two aprons and headbands for the both of them.

The little Ackerman came back with the laptop and placed it on the counter where it was a safe distance away from the appliances. With flying fingers, she pulled Eren’s channel and searched up a specific recipe she always wanted to try. To Levi’s embarrassment, the video that popped up was already highlighted, meaning that he watched the video before. Noting that Levi was placing his hands up to his face to hide his shame, Mikasa chose to ignore his actions in favor of clicking the video so they can start making dinner.

The video starts with a tune Levi has grown familiar with, and a brunet with baby pink clips over her hair and wearing a mint green ruffled apron appeared on the screen.

_“Hello, my darlings! Today I have a super easy recipe that you can fix up in under 15 minutes. Not only is it delicious and filling, but it’s super cute too. I hope you all enjoy it and let’s get started!”_

The introduction ended with a blinding (blinding for Levi anyways, he swore he saw heaven’s gates open up for him) smile before a list of ingredients popped up.

The two wore their aprons and matching headbands before thoroughly washing their hands to get started on dinner. After definitely-not-15-minutes, some close-calls, and a bunch of video pausing, the two managed to finish making the food and placed it on their plates. Well, it didn’t look _exactly_ like the video, but it still looked pretty decent.

Mikasa took the chance to take a quick picture on her cellphone of the food and shrugging at Levi’s inquisitive stare. “I want to show it to Armin and Annie.”

Accepting her answer, Levi prayed that whatever they made actually tasted decent. He looked at his food with what was supposed to be a cute face made out ketchup, was uneven blobs looking at him. He never claimed that he was an artist, but at least Mikasa’s attempt looked more appetizing than his. Taking his fork, he took his first bite and hummed instantly.

It can look like a deranged body part for all Levi cared because _damn_ , it was delicious as the brunette claimed it would be. From the pleased noise he heard across from him, it would seem that Mikasa agreed with that thought.

Beautiful _and_ cooks in a ruffled apron?

Levi groaned inwardly as he took another bite.

Fuck it at this point. He knew he was in way too deep now.


	3. Call Me Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is everyone's favorite person to tease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have been listening to kpop while doing this chapter...

“So a little birdie told me something very interesting about a certain someone you’re infatuated with.”

“Whatever Isabel or Farlan told you is complete bullshit and you should immediately block them,” Levi grunted as he did another push-up.

“Actually, it was Mikasa who told me the last time she came over,” Erwin corrected. He indicated Levi to stop his routine and move to the mat to do a cool-down.

“That traitor. Remind me to ground her once I get home.” Levi slowly moved towards the mat and jogged on the spot, not needing Erwin to tell him what to do next since he was used to it.

“Now, now, the girl did nothing wrong. Though, I am wounded that Mike and I weren’t informed of this sooner,” Erwin said. The personal fitness trainer even had the audacity to pout.

Levi let out an unattractive snort. “Right, what am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, I’m pining for someone who is 37 hours away, 10 years younger than me, has the damn cutest dimples in existence, and is the queen of all beauty gurus of YouTube’? Actually, no. If I told you guys that shit, Mike would send flowers like the stupid dork he is.”

Erwin chuckled fondly at the mention of his husband’s name. _‘Gross,’_ Levi thought. The blond giants were always so lovey dovey with each other even when they were not in the same room.

“You know Mike well. And you know we would also host a grand party for you,” Erwin said, motioning for Levi to stop and passed him a water bottle.

Levi took a few gulps of the offered water bottle and wiped his sweat off his brow. Also gross.

“Now that I think about it, has Hange caught wind of this yet?”

“Fuck no. If they did, they would fly back here in a heartbeat just to embarrass the shit out of me,” Levi said. The two of them headed to the changing rooms where the shower was located, right after Levi finished meticulously wiped down all the exercise machines he used.

“That’s true, but it’ll be worse the later they find out about it.”

Levi shrugged and started stripping down. “Whatever, I’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.”

Not irked at all by the shorter man’s nudity, Erwin continued. “So, what’re they like?”

After waiting for the appropriate water temperature, Levi stepped in and raised his voice a bit to answer. “Perfect, like a toasted marshmallow.”

“Oh, do tell.” Erwin felt like he was in high school again talking about their crushes. The blond man leaned on a wall away from the showers so he doesn’t get wet but close enough to hear.

“Like, they’re the polar opposite of me, wears pastel colors like baby pinks, blues, and yellows. Eyes so beautiful that it feels like you’ve found treasure because they sparkle green and gold. Their brown hair looks so soft that I could spend weeks playing with it and teeth so white that the tooth fairy would go to hell for one. And damn, when they stare into the camera after applying lipstick, my stomach does those stupid somersaults everyone talks about. Oh, and a body of a Greek god. The kid has a six-pack for their age, Erwin, six! Is that enough for you to gossip to tall-ass tree number two with?”

Erwin whistled. “Looks like you found yourself a one-way ticket to love land.”

Levi got out of the shower with a towel around his waist and a pinkish hue was on his face. Whether it was from the hot showers that made him look like that, or because he was embarrassed from praising the new love interest he has not yet met in real life, Erwin did not know but he was betting on the latter.

Levi huffed. “Yeah, whatever. Are you coming over Friday?”

“And miss teasing you in front of your fans? Not a chance,” Erwin replied. He anticipated and deflected the elbow that was about to be acquainted with his ribs.

“I’m going to shave one of your eyebrows off.”

* * *

“Thanks for the drive, Uncle Levi,” Armin said as he reached to unbuckle his seat belt.

Levi slowed down the black mid-size SUV (fuck anyone who judges him for driving one, he has a kid now) into the flower shop’s parking space and stopped the car.

“No problem, kid. Mikasa, we’re getting flowers for your crown as well.”

Mikasa grinned as she motioned to unbuckle her seat belt as well. The two 10-year-olds raced into _Zoe’s Flowers & Plants_ where Mike greeted them once they entered through the door.

“Dad!” Armin exclaimed. He ran over and hugged his father’s leg. Couldn’t blame the boy on that one, Mike was a giant and Armin’s current height barely reached the man’s hip.

Mike ruffled his son’s hair. “Hey there, Armin. Had a good day at school today?”

“Mm! I took out more books from the school library.” The blond boy looks excited to start reading as soon as he gets the chance.

“That’s great. And Mikasa?”

“I had a good day too. Thank you for asking, Uncle Mike,” the girl said, though, she did seem to be distracted by the flowers. Armin went up to the girl and grabbed her hand as he directed her to the new flowers the shop had in stock and giving her a brief description of each one.

Once the kids were out of ear-shot, Mike directed his attention to his friend as he approached the counter. “And Levi, good to see you around again.”

“Yeah, yeah. And stop before you ask, because your dumb husband already did and he’ll tell you about it later.”

The giant blond held his arms up in surrender. “Alright, then. So, what are you here for?”

“Flowers that is suitable to make a flower crown with.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yes, ‘oh.’ It’s for Mikasa. Now, are you going to do your job, or does Hange need to know about this?” Levi asked, crossing his arms with a huff.

“As if you would willingly contact Hange while they’re in a state over. And if you’re making a flower crown, wouldn’t it be better to use fake ones so they’ll last longer?”

“Fake ones don’t look as nice as the real stuff. Besides, I was thinking of preserving them or something. Mikasa said her mom used to make her flower crowns when they go to the park, so I think real ones would be better.”

“Ah, I see,” Mike nodded understandably. “Then, it really depends on the flower. There are many different ways for preserving different flowers for different effects. You can dry flowers like roses, lavender, and marigold for a wilted look, or you can press the flower crown if you plan on using it as a wall art piece, or you can use silica gel to make the flowers last pretty much forever.”

“I have no idea what half of the fucking stuff you just said, but I think I might do the last option.”

“Very well, and since you’re a good friend of ours, we can preserve the flowers for you since we have the necessary materials.”

“Thanks, that’s one less thing to think about. So, can I use any flower to make the crown and have it preserved so it looks like if it was fresh?”

“Yes, but you also need to take into consideration that flowers have their own language and each one has their own meaning.”

Levi did not resist the urge to groan out load. “You suck for making this more complicated than it needs to be.”

“I did indeed suck last night, but there was nothing complicated about that thank you very much,” Mike retorted.

“Fucking- Mike, no,” Levi hissed.

“Mike, yes. Now, do you want my help or not?”

“Yes if it means you shutting up and not letting the kids hear you.”

“Okay, then. Just stand there and look pretty while I grab something suitable for Mikasa.”

Levi begrudgingly stood at the counter waiting for Mike as he watched the two kids talking to each other. It was interesting to see the little blond speak in a spitfire pace, a far cry of his usually meek behavior, while Mikasa listened closely and nodded. Armin placed a small yellow rose – without its thorns, Levi noted, it was probably from the prepackaged bouquet arrangements – behind Mikasa’s ear, and Mikasa placed a purple iris into the front pocket of Armin’s shirt. It was amusing to see the little blond turn 20 different shades of red until a cough interrupted his thoughts.

Levi directed his attention back to Mike and the flowers he was holding. Black, red, and white flowers were set onto the counter and Levi called Mikasa over to get her approval.

“Now, I picked flowers that are suitable and remind me of you, Mikasa. The Queen of Night tulip, red hyacinth, and white lilacs,” Mike started, giving a brief explanation to each one.

“What do you think, Mikasa?” Levi asked. He looked at his daughter as she stared at the flowers with wonder. Levi had to admit, Mike did an excellent job with the colors and meanings.

“They’re beautiful, but something’s missing...” Mikasa said in a low voice. She looked at the flowers for a bit longer before trotting down through the aisle of the store. The two men looked at each other with confusion before the girl came back, her hands holding pink flowers with pointed tips.

“Ah, those are gladiolus, wonderful choice. Those flowers mean strength and determination but also remembrance,” Mike explained, carefully taking the flowers from the girl.

Mikasa gave him a small smile. “They were my mom’s favorite.”

“Thank you, Mike. I’ll take all of them if you would,” Levi said, pulling up his wallet.

Mike nodded, packaging the flowers before passing them to Levi. After Mike rang up the purchase, the two Ackermans bid their farewell and left the store.

Mikasa’s eyes seem to shine brighter when she stared out the window with the flowers on her lap. Levi felt happy, knowing he did something to make her smile as the girl started singing a random tune in a low voice.

“Hey?”

“Yeah?” Levi replied back.

“Can we listen to some music?”

“Sure.”

Mikasa grabbed Levi’s cellphone and connected the Bluetooth to the car.

Levi almost swerved the car into the other lane as he tried to fight off the blush on his face.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, expecting one of Levi’s punk band music, but instead, k-pop blasted through the speakers.

The man wanted to hide under his leather jacket as Mikasa gave him a full-blown smirk.

EXO’s _Call Me Baby_ played through the duration of the car ride.

Levi knew what Mikasa was thinking. He did the rookie mistake of not switching to a different video since what was currently playing was from _KingPastelEren_ ’s newest video when he did a dance cover of said aforementioned song.

Levi may or may not had a hard time watching the whole video, taking breaks to calm down his racing heart because Eren was dancing suggestively and giving sultry looks to the camera with his mismatched eyes. He may or may not re-watched the video five times last night before falling asleep, trying to take in the image of the beautiful brunet in a tight black tank top that showed off his glorious collarbone and arms, galaxy leggings that hugged his toned ass nicely, and bobby pins pinning his hair down, showing his facial expressions more clearly. Needless to say, Levi had a pleasant night’s sleep. And he may or may not have considered enrolling Mikasa into a CPR course in case he goes into cardiac arrest because at this rate, it was highly possible.

For the most part, the car ride went by quickly and Levi pulled the car into the driveway of their house before parking. The two stayed in the car for a good minute, with Levi trying to will down his blush, and Mikasa trying to figure out what would be the best way to tease him.

But just as she opened her mouth, Levi interrupted her.

“You’re grounded.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yellow Rose_ – represents friendship.  
>  _Purple Iris_ – the iris flower has multiple meanings, but purple symbolizes wisdom.  
>  _The Queen of Night tulips_ – royal flowers that mean power and strength, but can also mean as farewell for someone who passed away. (Pretty obvious which meaning I picked.)  
>  _Red Hyacinth_ – represents play, but it can also mean love and protection. (Though I suggest you all read about the story behind this flower, it’s quite interesting.)  
>  _White Lilacs_ – means youthful innocence.  
>  _Gladiolus_ – strength and determination but also remembrance.


	4. Livestream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi can't catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /stares and rubs eyes. I think I'm dreaming because the amount of kudos on this is ridiculous!
> 
> But in all seriousness, thank you. I am absolutely blown away with the amount of support this fic has. You are all wonderful and I love every single one of you. (づ￣ ³￣)づ♥
> 
> And Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians!

_Ding dong._

“Mikasa, can you go get the door?”

“Okay!”

Levi turned off the oven and using the oven mitts, pulled out baking sheets full of several mini pizzas. The aroma of freshly made pizza surrounded the kitchen and Levi felt proud of himself. _‘Another successful recipe by the Queen,’_ Levi thought. His mind recalled the video of Eren bending over to open the oven door, wearing pink polka dot shorts with a yellow ruffled apron tied into a bow in the back. The sight was absolutely delectable with the natural bronze skin contrasting against the lighter colored clothing, and Levi fully appreciated it.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear loud noises coming from the front entrance, but with his body sensing danger, he tried to turn around but suddenly saw darkness.

“LEVIIII! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!” Levi heard as he was being hugged to near-death.

“Get off of me! You almost burned both of us!” He exclaimed, trying to direct their bodies away from the hot metal behind him.

“Nope! This is punishment,” Hange said, rubbing their head on top of Levi as he tried to push them away.

“What the hell? I thought you were gone for another few days?”

“Nope again! I got a very interesting text last night and booked the next flight back here!”

Levi finally managed to push away from Hange and glared at his friends at the kitchen entryway.

“Who?” Levi asked, crossing his arms and cocking his hips to the side giving each one of them a glare.

All four shook their heads when a cough interrupted Levi’s interrogation. The adults parted so that the little Ackerman stepped through with Armin in tow. She went up to Levi and held up the large paper bag she was holding.

“Hange got us ice cream cake,” the girl said as if that explained everything.

Levi eyed the bag before turning to look at the eccentric brunet and then fixing his gaze on Mikasa. She was looking at him but wasn’t making eye contact. Levi narrowed his eyes a bit but didn’t move from his spot.

An eternity passed before Levi took the paper bag from the girl’s hands. “I’ll put this away. Go set up everything,” Levi said as he moved to put the cake in the freezer.

Mikasa released the breath she was holding in. She managed quell Levi’s anger with ice cream cake and returned the thumbs up Hange gave her. The rest of the group let out a sigh of relief before proceeding to set up for the live stream.

When Levi entered the game room with the mini pizzas, he was pleased to find everything was almost ready. The black leather sectional sofa was in front of the big screen with a table in between. Drinks were already poured and chips were in the bowl, untouched but not for too long. There was a camera hooked up to the side of the TV, and everyone already attached the mics on the collar of their shirts. Isabel was on one side of the sofa on her phone, no doubt announcing the start of the live stream and Farlan sitting beside her on the recliner. Levi placed the food on an empty part of the table before sitting beside Isabel, taking the mic from her and clipping it onto his shirt collar as well.

“Okay, is everyone ready? The stream starts in a few,” Hange said as they seated next to Levi.

“All is good,” Erwin said as he held his tablet with YouTube live stream video opened. He was seated next to Hange with Mike on his other side.

The two kids sat on their bean bag chairs that were placed in between the table and the TV, a box was placed on Armin’s lap.

Everyone waited until Erwin indicated that the stream was live.

“Good evening, morning, afternoon, or whatever the fuck it is in your time zone, welcome to DumbPlay,” Levi introduced.

The first few times Levi hosted live streams, there were many comments criticizing him for cussing in front of children in which Levi replied that he doesn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t ignorant to know what goes around at an ‘innocent’ school ground. Mikasa and Armin were smart kids who know how to use appropriate language with certain people; it was just the fact that Levi doesn’t have a filter and was true to himself and doesn’t need to hide himself in front of his kid and his best friend’s kid. But after hosting many weeks’ worth of live streams, those comments have died down considerably.

“Alright! You know the drill! What word should we use?” Hange asked.

“How about ‘pastel’?” Mike suggested.

The rest of the group gave Levi shit-eating grins while Levi returned them with a murderous glare.

“Okay! Comment or tweet ‘pastel’ if you can hear and/or see us!” Hange said.

They all waited around until Erwin and Isabel confirmed that the viewers are able to see them.

“Let’s get started then. Mikasa, if you will,” Farlan said, gesturing the girl to go over to Armin to pick something from the box.

She pulled up a folded piece of paper. “We’re going to play _3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures 2_ on the 360.”

The men in the room groaned while Isabel and Hange cheered.

“Okay, let’s get this shitfest started,” Levi said.

“While we’re getting the game started, anyone have any questions for us?” Erwin asked to the camera while Farlan and Mike moved to get the game hooked up.

“A few people on Twitter are asking if Hange finished their trip already and how was it,” Isabel said, looking down on her phone.

“Oooooh! Well, I came back early because I got wind of something interesting-“ Hange pointedly stared at Levi, “-and just HAD to come back. The trip itself was really good and I was able to talk to many other botanists who were interested in my progress with the new plants I’m experimenting with. With the mutation of double-flowers, I wanted to see if it’s possible to genetically create triple-flowers in order to-“

“OKAY! The game is ready to play!” Farlan interrupted.

“Who’s playing this time?”

“Levi of course. I’m also getting a lot of comments asking for the knight to play as well,” Erwin said nodding his head to Mikasa.

While Levi earned the nickname, ‘Corporal,’ because of his general-like character and attitude, the few times that Mikasa played games with him, she earned the title of ‘Knight’ by his fans because of how well she can keep up with him, followed his orders, and was someone that Levi can rely on for back-up. A title she completely deserves, Levi mused.

Isabel refreshed her screen. “Oh! I see a lot of people asking for you, Erwin, and Hange as well.”

“Good luck, Papa!” Armin cheered.

Erwin chuckled as he set down the tablet, grabbing the control from Mike with a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, pumpkin. I’ll do my best to win for you.” Armin blushed at the term of endearment his father said so openly while Levi and Farlan stuck out their tongues to do a gagging motion.

“With Hange playing, you’re not going to be able to use any of your strategic plans because they’re going to screw you over,” Isabel commented.

“Okay, you fucks, the game loaded and everyone needs to pick their stupid characters.”

* * *

“FUCK YOU, ERWIN. DID YOU HAVE TO USE THE FIRE POWER UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME YOU FUCKER?!” Levi yelled, pissed that Erwin managed to sink his ball into the hole getting a par, but not before using the power up in front of Levi’s ball, one stroke away from par as well.

Hange laughed manically as they managed to sink their ball in on their turn getting a par too. Mikasa surprisingly got an eagle earlier, so now it was just Levi left.

“Just hit the wall over there, Uncle Levi. You can probably bounce back and sink it in,” Armin commented, munching on a mini pizza.

“Hey, your fans are wondering if you made the food, Levi,” Farlan said, reading off of Isabel’s phone since the red-headed woman left a while ago to grab the ice cream cake.

“Damn right I did and I did a good job at it too,” Levi said while he slowly aimed the direction of the ball to where Armin suggested.

“Indeed you did big bro. So where did you get the recipe from? Do you mind sharing with your fans?” Isabel came back holding the paper bag in one hand and plates and cutlery in the other. As she set everything on the table, she gave Levi a smirk before returning to her seat and grabbing her phone from Farlan’s hands.

Levi stuttered a bit and accidentally let go of the trigger too late and he saw his ball on the screen bounced the back wall but rolled into Erwin’s flame trap and got blasted off the golf course.

“Yes, Levi. I think my family would appreciate it if you shared where you’re getting your sources from,” Erwin smirked, draping his arm behind Mike’s shoulders.

“And I think your family would appreciate it if you have all of your fingers intact,” Levi shot back, aiming his ball again.

“Does it have to do anything with a certain YouTuber?” Hange asked, wiggling their eyebrows.

Again, Levi let the trigger too late, but this time, the ball rolled further away from the hole.

“You suck,” Mikasa quipped.

“Oh, really, Hange? Please elaborate,” Erwin said, feigning innocence, watching Levi getting more agitated with the conversation and the game.

“I don’t know the details exactly, but I heard certain rumors. Don’t know if they’re true, though,” Hange replied. It was amusing to see their usually grumpy friend’s face slowly turning red because of the embarrassment along with the ball. Not. Going. In. The. Hole.

“I guess we’ll have to ask the corporal himself, right Levi?” Mike asked with a smirk on his face as well.

The ball finally went in with the screen popping up the words, ‘Triple Bogey’ and Levi abruptly stood up.

“Oh, will you look at the time! That’s it, you shitstains. You all better enjoy the stream and see you next time while I get some new friends,” Levi waved off not letting his friends say any more to his fans. He walked over to the TV, turning off the camera and the live stream.

“Aw! Don’t be such a downer, Lee. We haven’t really done anything,” Farlan cried out.

Levi crossed his arm and glared at him, his cheeks a bit flushed. “Good. And it better stay that way.”

Hange cackled, “Aw, you look so cute when you blush! Are you thinking about them right now?”

“Hange, I swear to god, I’m going to-”

“Hey, why don’t we have some cake?” Armin suggested, trying to do some damage control. Mikasa eagerly nodded beside him.

Levi huffed and went back to the table. Hange swiftly left the room,and Levi briefly wondered why until he opened the bag and saw the cake, quickly running after them.

“HANGE, YOU SHIT. I’M GOING TO MURK YOUR FLAT ASS!”

“I HAVE A VERY PERKY ASS THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

There were more distant yells that were echoing through the house. The rest of the group looked at each other and shrugged.

“That went better than I thought it would,” Farlan commented.

“Thank goodness he didn’t have the knife in hand,” Isabel added.

Mikasa didn’t even bother hiding her smile as she took a look at the ice cream cake. It was in the shape of a heart with pink borders and roses decorated on top. She took the lid off and started giggling.

_‘Congratz on the new bae!!! ♥’_ was written elegantly on the cake with hearts and roses surrounding it.

“YOU FUCK. GET BACK HERE!”

“CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, YOU GRUMPY SMITTENED SMURF!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you ever feel like asking questions or even giving me ideas, check out my [tumblr](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/). I respond faster there than here on AO3. :)


	5. Cinnamon Bun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A not-so-usual day for the little Ackerman.

“Whoa, Mikasa! Your lunch looks so good!”

Mikasa nodded at a fellow classmate of hers. “Thank you, my dad made it.”

“Really? I wish my mom can make it look like that,” another classmate piped in.

“It’s too cute to eat!”

“Where did you get your flower crown from? It’s super pretty!”

Mikasa shifted in her seat, not used to the attention that she’s getting. “My dad also made it.”

“Your dad is SO cool!”

“Doesn’t your dad have like a whole bunch of tattoos too?”

“Hey, do you think your dad can make me one?”

Noticing Mikasa’s discomfort, a blonde glared at the group of kids gathering around their table. “Get lost. We’re trying to eat our lunch here.”

Some of them cowered from the girl’s gaze and left, others tried to retort, but the blonde narrowed her eyes and the rest of them left.

Mikasa sighed. “Thank you, Annie.”

“They were annoying and I wanted to eat in peace,” Annie said with a shrug.

“But you know, they’re right, your lunch is really cute and your flower crown is beautiful. Uncle Levi did a great job!” Armin praised.

“Yeah, he has been watching more of the Queen’s videos lately and he’s always doing crafts from the tutorial videos,” Mikasa said. She looked at her bento box (which Levi bought earlier that week specifically to make her lunches) that was split in half. One-half had lettuce on the bottom, and hot dog pieces shaped like octopuses resting on top of it with some vegetables, and the other half had some curry with bunny-shaped rice balls with a smiling face. She also saw the sticky note that was left on the lid of the bento that said, _‘Stay good.’_ Mikasa almost snorted, leave it to her dad to write something like that.

Looking at her lunch again, she had to admit, it was almost as if Levi unlocked some sort of potential artistic skill because it was almost overnight that he can now draw a face without making it look like a monster (or it maybe it was because he re-watched Eren’s videos way too many times and absorbed the information through the screen). She almost didn’t want to eat to eat her lunch, but she was hungry so some sacrifices must be made.

“Who’s the Queen?” Annie asked.

“The Queen is the nickname of _QueenPastelEren_. She’s a YouTuber like Mikasa’s dad, but she does beauty videos and tutorials instead,” Armin explained since Mikasa was stuffing her face.

“That’s cool. Maybe I can get my parents to check it out too since they’re a bit scatterbrained. Did your dad also do your hair yesterday using a tutorial too?” Annie asked Mikasa, recalling the braided flower hairstyle.

Swallowing, Mikasa replied, “Yeah, but it took forever! It took almost an hour to do my hair because he kept on re-doing it, saying that it was too messy. I was almost late for school.”

“It was really pretty, though! Uncle Levi must’ve studied really closely to the video to make it look that nice,” Armin said, his lips tugging upwards.

Mikasa nodded, a smirk forming on her face too. Annie looked at her two friends, noting that she was probably missing out on an inside joke or something but shrugged it off. They would tell her eventually.

The school bell rang, indicating it was time for the children to go outside. Finishing their lunches, the trio packed everything before leaving the lunch room.

* * *

The three children were sitting under a tree in the skirt of the school playground. Armin was reading a book while Mikasa and Annie talked to each other in low voices. Mikasa took off her flower crown and showed it to Annie and explained what each of the flowers meant.

A soccer ball rolled towards them and Mikasa stood up to grab it and gave it to the boy running towards her. “Thanks, Mikasa! Do you and Annie want to play with us?”

Mikasa looked behind her. “What about Armin?”

“Nah, Armin’s too weak to play with us,” another boy said, pulling up beside his friend.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. “Don’t say that about Armin, you liar. And no, we don’t want to play with you.”

The second boy glared at her. “Hey! What I said is true! It’s not my fault he sucks!”

Mikasa faced morphed into anger and was about to teach him a lesson but felt arms holding her back.

“Mikasa, calm down,” Annie said with a cool voice, but nothing was cool about the glare she was sending to the boy.

“Annie’s right, Mikasa. Just let it go; he’s not worth it,” Armin whispered into her ear.

Seeing that the girl was being restrained, the second boy laughed. “Ha ha! You’re not as strong as you look if you’re being held back by the dweeb.” The first boy was trying to cover up and apologizing for his friend, but the second boy paid no mind to him and proceeded to reach over and grabbed Armin’s hair and yanked on it, Armin letting out a startled cry from the action. “See? He even has hair like a girl’s!”

For a moment, time seemed to have stopped, because the next second, the second boy was on the ground holding his face and screaming in agony. Mikasa was able to let herself free from her friends and pinned the boy down. Annie, Armin, and the first boy tried to remove Mikasa from the bleeding boy until they heard a teacher yelling at them.

* * *

“Sorry if I’m late, Mr. Pixis,” Levi said as he entered the room.

“Not at all, please take a seat, Mr. Ackerman,” the old man said, gesturing to the seat in front of him.

Levi sat on the seat next to Mikasa. He looked at her, but she had her head down, having a one-way staring contest with the floor. Levi sighed and he turned his attention to the principal. “So, what exactly happened?”

The principal leaned forward and clasped his hands on the desk.

“Mikasa attacked another student at lunch today.”

Surprised, Levi raised his eyebrows and looked at the girl who was now clenching her fists. “Mikasa? Can you please tell me why that happened?”

“Because he was making fun of Armin and hurted him,” Mikasa said in a clipped tone, still not lifting her head.

Pixis nodded, “Yes. From what the victim and other students said, the victim approached them, made fun of her friend, and yanked on his hair. But, this could be viewed as self-defense since her friend wasn’t able to defend himself so she can’t really be punished for this incident.”

“How about the other kid?” Levi asked.

“Ah. Young Mr. Tius was sent to the nurse’s office. He appears to be fine, and his mother was even laughing through it all, saying that someone finally taught him a lesson. Said something along the lines of how girls were forces to be reckoned with I believe” Pixis explained with a slight smile. “So, you don’t really need to worry about anything, Mr. Ackerman, Mikasa’s not really in trouble.”

Mikasa shot up her head and Levi blinked. “Really?”

Again, the principal nodded. “Yes. Based on her personal record, she is a model student and not someone who randomly attacks other kids; however I am giving her a warning.”

Levi exhaled as Mikasa smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Pixis!”

“No problem, my dear. Just, try not to send another student to the nurse’s office, okay? School is almost done for today, so you may go home now.” Pixis said with a chuckle.

“Yes, thank you, sir,” Levi tipped his head as he got out of the chair and reached for Mikasa’s hand and left the office.

“Mikasa!” two voices yelled out.

Levi saw a blur of yellow and noticed that he wasn’t holding the hand of his child anymore. Glancing down, he saw that Mikasa was being hugged by Armin and another child he was familiar with from the few times Mikasa invited over for sleepovers, Annie.

Armin was sobbing, trying to voice out his words while Annie silently placed the forgotten flower crown back on Mikasa’s head and held her hand for comfort.

“Shh, Armin it’s okay. I’m not in trouble,” Mikasa tried to reassure the crying boy.

Armin sniffled a few times as Annie tried to brush his bangs out of his face. Levi bit the inside of his mouth trying his best not to smile at the gentle gesture. Annie always seemed to be perpetually annoyed with the world, but when she was with her friends, her cold demeanor immediately melts.

“It’s my fault that I couldn’t defend myself in the first place,” Armin grumbled out.

“Armin, you can’t always predict the actions of others. What matters is that all of you are all safe and fine. And strength isn’t always physical. The way that it is, you’re the bright kid of the two stupid giants who would say the same thing. I’m sure you can use your mind to screw other kids over somehow or another,” Levi said, reaching over to ruffle Armin’s head.

Armin giggled through his sniffles. “I don’t think that would be wise, Uncle Levi, but I’ll take your advice into consideration.”

“Smart kid,” Levi murmured. “Well then, you both need to go back to class to get your stuff. School is almost over and your parents will be picking you up soon.”

The two blonds nodded and both gave Mikasa another squeeze. Bidding farewell, the two Ackermans left the school and silently drove away. Levi looked at the rear-view mirror and saw Mikasa staring out the window with a frown on her face.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Levi called her name, “Mikasa?”

“Hm?”

“I’m not mad at you, you know.”

“You... aren’t?” Mikasa asked skeptically.

“Nope. In fact, I’m proud of you.”

“Really? Why?”

Levi nodded, “You defended a friend while they were getting harmed. Why would I be mad about that?”

Mikasa shrugged, “I don’t know. I thought maybe you would have been disappointed in me or something. You even wrote a note to tell me to stay good.”

“I did write that, but the circumstances were different so no, I’m not mad. In fact, we’re getting some ice cream to celebrate how great you are.”

Mikasa’s face lit up at the mention of ice cream and the praise. “Thanks, Dad!”

Levi smiled to himself. Even though he was Mikasa’s legal guardian, it wasn’t often that she would call him dad.

The two finally arrived at their destination at the restaurant that served ice cream and hot food items. Getting out of the car, Levi asked, “So, what kind of damage did you do to the other kid?”

“I punched him in the face. He got a broken nose.”

Levi did a low whistle. “That’s my girl. Now, give me five.”

Mikasa gave him a high five as they walked into the store. Thankfully, there weren’t that many customers, so they were able to make it to the front counter in good time.

“Hey, Petra. How’s everything?” Levi greeted the woman behind the counter.

“Very good, thank you for asking. Hey there, Mikasa,” the woman waved to the little girl, Mikasa smiled and waved back.

Directing her attention to the older man, Petra started pressing on the touch screen in front of her. “I’m assuming you two want the usual?”

Levi nodded as he pulled out his wallet to pay. Just as the order was sent, though, a tall blond walked to the front and gently placed the cakes he was holding onto the counter.

“Hey there Levi! How was the cake the other day? Hange called the store early in the morning for that cake and I had to rush to make it.”

“It was fine, Eld, thanks for asking,” Levi replied, though he was trying to avoid eye contact with the two workers who were looking at him with amused expressions. “It was just a horrible joke from Hange, don’t mind it.”

“Uh huh...” Petra said as she passed Mikasa her ice cream cone.

“Sure it was, Levi, sure it was,” another man completed for her, holding a tray of food.

“Shut it, Gunther,” Levi said, though his words held no bite.

“Nice flower crown, Mikasa,” Gunther commented as he placed the tray on the counter.

“Thank you, Mr. Gunther. Dad made it for me.”

“It’s so cute! How did you make it?” Petra asked Levi, lightly touching the crown that was nestled on Mikasa’s dark locks.

“Uhhh, a video tutorial on the Internet,” Levi said as he looked away and coughed a bit.

“Mm-hm. _QueenPastelEren’s_ video to be exact,” Mikasa added.

“That weird kid from Canada? You like their videos?” another voiced piped in.

Levi whipped his head back and glared at him.

“That’s none of your business, Oluo. And they happen to make great, insightful videos in case you didn’t know,” Levi said with his teeth clenched.

Oluo sneered, “It’s just some bratty kid who just so happens to know how to put on make-up and wears pastels. It’s a gimmick I tell ya. Seriously, I don’t even know why they’re so popular.”

Petra huffed. “You’re just jealous because your ex was a huge fan of Eren. In fact, she talked more about Eren than you, not that there’s any competition there.”

“Excuse me? Well, why don’t you-”

_SPLAT!_

All of the adults stopped talking and looked to where the sound came from.

“Oops, I dropped my cone,” Mikasa said in a non-apologetic way, glaring at Oluo.

“It’s alright, Mikasa, accidents happen,” Eld reassured her. “Oluo, go get the mop and clean up the mess.”

“Hah? Why should I do it?”

“Because I’m the manager and I said so.”

_SPLASH!_

“Oops, I dropped my soda too.”

“Oluo, go! And sorry for the inconvenience there, Levi, we’ll go grab you a new cone and drink,” Eld said.

“Thank you,” Levi said as he glared at Oluo one last time before grabbing the tray of food and Mikasa following behind.

Once seated and out of hearing range, Levi held out his hand to Mikasa again.

“Good job, Mikasa.”

“Always protect our precious cinnamon roll,” Mikasa said as she gave her dad another high five.


	6. Online Store & PO Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and his two jobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** There’s a bit of a spoiler for _Hatoful Boyfriend_ with regards to one of the routes.

“What the fuck is this? Why the fuck would you guys request me to play this? You are all fucked up, I swear,” Levi spoke as he looked at the title screen of the most requested game his fans wanted him to play.

“You think this is funny you asshats? Who decided, “Hey, let’s make a dating game about birds. Humans are so overrated.” Like, what the fuck?”

“Why would a human want to go to a school full of pigeons?”

“Ryouta looks alright I guess.”

“”Everybirdie” are you shitting me? Is this game going to be full of puns and play on words? Goddamn.”

“The teacher looks cute, though.”

“What the actual fuck? Who’s this asshole?!”

“Why you look so sad, bright eyes?”

“Ouuuu, family drama. I like that shit.”

“WHY IS THERE AN EMOTICON?”

“Wait, I’m the ONLY human in this school? What were the damn requirements to get in?”

“That Yuuya reminds me of Erwin. Obviously, I’m not going for that one.”

“NO. You’re hot, but I know for a fact that you’ll dissect me later on or some shit.”

“Why the fuck does this bird keep on saying “Coo”? Wait, is he using bird language?”

Levi laughed. “Holy shit! I did not expect that one! Good job, game developers, and artists. I totally did not expect that.”

“I guess I’ll go for bright eyes since he doesn’t seem like much of an annoying character.”

Levi played _Hatoful Boyfriend_ for a few more hours until he reached the end of Nageki’s route.

“No. No. WHAT? YOU CAN’T SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME AND THEN LEAVE ME!” Levi yelled at the credit screen. He made a groan of irritation.

“Okay, I’ll admit. It was better than I thought it would be. Though I’m still not too comfortable about the whole dating birds thing, but whatever. That’s it for now and see you fucks later,” Levi closed off, pausing the voice and screen recording.

Removing his headphones, Levi pushed away from his desk and stretched in his chair and rubbed his eyes (no, he did not cry, he just has dust or something in there). Mikasa wouldn’t be home for another hour since she had soccer practice and he didn’t feel like editing the video just yet.

Sitting back straight, he opened up an incognito window and started browsing through both of Eren’s channels for new windows. Even though Mikasa knew, he doesn’t want her or any of his nosy friends for that matter, to see his embarrassingly long video browsing history.

To Levi’s surprise, Eren uploaded a new video an hour ago titled, _‘Announcement!’_ Clicking on it, he was greeted by the lovely view of his favorite goddess, wearing a peach dress shirt with white scalloped ruffles and, from Levi could see, a baby blue jumper skirt. Her look was completed with pink eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and her favorite lavender lipstick.

 _“Hello, my darlings!”_ she waved to the camera with a smile.

 _“Big news, I finally opened my own online store! It will have tons of cute clothes, like the jumper skirt I’m wearing right now, makeup, and cute, little accessories as well. Look in the description box below for the link, or you can click here,”_ she pointed to a space beside her, and an annotation box popped up. _“Also, I finally have a PO Box! A lot of you have been asking for a very long time an address to send stuff to, and I would really love to read any letters sent to me. Also, I like being spoiled,”_ she whispered the last part and then winked.

Levi had the sudden urge to go a huge shopping spree in order to spoil his queen. Shaking his head from that thought, he continued watching until the end of the video. Looking at the description box, he decided to click on the link that directed him to Eren’s store and wished he hadn’t (but not really); since he was certain he is going to die at the age of 30 because of the pastel beauty in another country.

The store had clothes, makeup, and accessories like the brunette said, but Levi did not expect to find the page to be full of Eren _modeling_ all of the items.

Levi wanted to cry because of how perfect the precious angel was. Each item had Eren in three different poses and Levi was certain he would be in the ER later, but for now, he was taking in every detail of the image gallery.

So lost in his thoughts about the pastel goddess, Levi did not hear the front door opening. He did not hear the “I’m home” coming from downstairs. And he certainly did not hear the footsteps going up the stairs, nor did he hear his door open.

He did, however, hear a voice saying, “What are you doing?” right next to his ear.

Startled, he jumped a bit and whipped his head around to see Mikasa smirking at him.

Levi groaned. There was no use hiding it from his daughter, was there? With a blush, he turned back to look at the screen.

“Eren opened up an online store.”

“Really?! I want to see!”

Excited, Mikasa jumped on Levi’s lap and started taking control of the mouse. Levi just sighed and let her be. He shouldn’t forget that she was a big fan of Eren before he was.

The little girl in his lap voiced out her opinions and compliments, grinning the whole way through. Levi must admit, though it wasn’t really his aesthetic, the selection was really nice and well thought out. Eren seemed to have a very good understanding of what the fans want. _‘And at a reasonable price,’_ Levi mentally added.

“Do you want any of Eren’s stuff, Mikasa?”

“Can I?”

“Well, I haven’t really bought you clothes, or even accessories. I think I’m allowed to spoil you a bit, eh?”

Mikasa turned and look at him with a big smile on her face. “Thank you, Dad!”

Levi pecked her forehead. “No problem, kiddo. Just start picking out a few things you like.” 

Eren wasn’t going to be the only one who was going to get spoiled if Levi had something to do with it.

* * *

“Levi, can you please tell me why you brought me to a Hobby Lobby?” Isabel asked, watching Levi going through the aisles like he was on a mission.

“And why am I being dragged out here on my day off?” Mike also asked.

The trio definitely had people turning heads in their direction. A serious-looking punk was flicking his head left and right doing down the aisles, with a normally dressed girl and an abnormally tall man following behind him, was going to cause some people to draw some weird conclusions about them.

“Well, to answer your questions, I need you, Isabel, because you know more about this stuff than I do. And Mike, I’m going to need your nose later when we go to Lush,” Levi said.

They stopped walking when Levi started looking at the wall full of different washi tape.

“What do you mean big bro? You’re still not making any sense.” Isabel asked with Mike nodding in agreement.

Levi sighed, pink slowly creeping on his face. “Well, Eren now has a PO Box, and I want to send them stuff.”

Isabel squealed and Mike gave Levi a dad-approved smile. “Ohhh! That’s so cute! Of course I’ll help you!” Isabel exclaimed as she bounced to his side and carefully looking at the different tape designs. “This one, this one, and oh! This one screams ‘Eren’ to me. And this one the Queen will definitely use...”

While Levi knew what he was getting himself into, he still sighed. It was going to be a long day of spending and teasing.

*****

“Welcome back,” Mikasa greeted the moment he entered the house. She stood up straight and gave him a hug.

Returning the hug, he gently placed the bags on the floor. “Thank you, Mikasa. Nice to see you again, Annie,” Levi said, nodding to the young girl a foot away from them.

“Thank you for letting me stay over, Mr. Ackerman.”

“Not a problem. Have you two made anything to eat yet?”

Mikasa nodded her head. “Just some sandwiches, but nothing fancy.” Mikasa peered at the bags before looking at Levi again. “What are in the bags?”

“Ah, well-” Levi coughed, “-it’s for Eren. I wanted to send them a box.”

Both of the girls grinned. Ah, great, another person knows. It was as though Levi couldn’t even have a _crush_ (god that sounded juvenile) without everyone and their grandmothers knowing about it. His only saving grace was that his fans are in the dark about it. Some have already made speculations based on the live stream, but thankfully, nothing major popped up yet. Or so Levi hoped.

“Ohhh! This is a nice color,” Mikasa said as she held a mint green nail polish from one of the bags with Annie nodding in agreement.

“If you want, you two can use whatever I have in the bags, I can go buy new ones another time,” Levi offered, making a mental note to check the receipts.

“Really? Yay! C’mon Annie, I want to do your nails.”

Levi watched the two girls going upstairs to Mikasa’s room and smiled to himself. Lately, Mikasa has been smiling a lot more than usual and has no problem asking him for stuff. Thinking back when she first stayed with him, she kept quiet to herself and didn’t speak more than necessary. The Mikasa now though was more playful and more open to communicating with him.

He even noticed him changing as well. He showed more emotions without being awkward with the delivery and admittedly, more affection to Mikasa. Isabel teased him saying that he just unlocked the ‘Mama Bear’ in him, but Levi scoffed at that. Just because he wants to make sure she was always taken care of, fretted over her if she started coughing, and would protect her with his life, does _not_ make him a ‘Mama Bear’ ...right?

“Dad! Can you do our hair, please?” Mikasa yelled out from her room.

Levi didn’t notice that he was still at the house entrance. Shaking his head from his stupor, he told her that he would be up there in a minute and promptly put everything away before heading to Mikasa’s room.

He saw that the two girls were blowing their freshly painted nails and looked up when they heard the door open. Walking towards them, he grabbed the hair brush and elastics from Mikasa’s dresser and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Okay, who’s first?”

“Annie, you can go first,” Mikasa nodded to the girl.

Silently, and without getting her nails to touch anything, Annie sat next to the bed on the floor, facing away from Levi.

Taking off her elastic and bobby pins, Levi gently combed her hair. “So Annie, what kind of hairstyle would you like?”

“Can you please make the braided flower hairstyle that you did for Mikasa a while ago? I liked that one.”

Smiling a little, he nodded even though the little blonde can’t see him. “Sure thing.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Levi doing their hair. Mikasa seemed adamant about using _QueenPastelEren’s_ video tutorial on how to do a princess crown braid when it was her turn. Levi tried to keep his composure as he watched Eren in her beautiful glory explaining how to do the braid step-by-step. It was hard enough to watch the video with her in a cotton candy pink wig – which, Levi may add, made her look more like an angel than usual – but then, Mikasa also asked if he would be willing to do nail designs on their nails with another of, you guessed it, Eren’s beauty tutorials.

Levi was getting bullied.

But as he stared at the black chandelier above his head once night has set and the two girls were sound asleep, he doesn’t say that he minded it at all. It was a lot of fun going through the different videos and commenting which ones they liked the best. He didn’t even mind the teasing that much either. All in all, it was something that Levi wouldn’t mind doing again. Turning to his side, he closes his eyes and mentally thanked Eren.

Because it was Eren’s videos that helped them become closer.


	7. Fanmail Opening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren’s reaction to the lovely package Levi sent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are wondering when they'll meet... They will... I just don't know when yet... /runs off

“Hey, wake up!”

Levi grumbled and rolled over to his side. Mikasa, having none of that, huffed and climbed onto the lump that was covered in blankets. No response.Mikasa sighed and started lightly smacking Levi’s face.

“Mikasa, please stop. I spent all night finishing _Five Nights at Freddy’s 3_. Let me scream in my nightmares,” Levi mumbled with his eyes still closed.

“Hmph. Guess you don’t want to see Eren’s live stream then?”

At the mention of the Queen’s name, Levi shot straight up and Mikasa rolled away just in time.

“Eren’s doing a live stream? Where? When? Why?”

Getting off the bed and straightening out her pajamas, Mikasa responded, “Eren’s doing a live stream on his vlog channel in two hours from now. And he’s going to be opening his fan mail!”

The last part definitely got his attention. Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand and checked the time. “Fuck, it’s only 7 in the morning. Why is he doing it so early?”

Mikasa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Because it would be noon in his time zone. He’s going to be opening his packages before heading home to visit his family for Thanksgiving.” From the confused look he gave her, she added, “Thanksgiving in Canada is a month earlier than ours.”

Knowing that most of her knowledge is from the Internet or Armin, Levi gave her a sleepy nod and started stretching with a yawn. Now that he was awake, there was no point in trying to get an extra five minutes of rest. Finally getting out of the bed, he trotted downstairs to the kitchen with Mikasa following him.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked as he put on an apron and his headband before washing his hands.

“PANCAKES!” a loud voice quipped in.

“Fucking- Hange, what are you doing here?” Levi scowled as he turned around.

“To see Eren’s live stream with you of course! Morning, Mikasa!” Hange strolled in, patting Mikasa’s head as they walked up to the kitchen island.

“Good morning Hange,” Mikasa replied as she hopped onto the barstool.

Levi shot her an accusing glare. “Did you tell them?”

Mikasa turned her head away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mikasa, I swear to-”

“Don’t threaten your child, Levi,” another voice chided.

“And fuck you too, Captain America. To what do I owe the displeasure of seeing your face so early in the morning?” Levi asked. He sighed and started up the coffee machine. As much as he loved his tea, he had a feeling that he was going to need something stronger in order to last through this morning.

“I got bombarded with texts this morning and was demanded to come here. Here, I brought doughnuts from that bakery that you like so much,” Erwin said, trying to pacify the shorter man by placing a pink box of a dozen fresh doughnuts on the counter.

Levi looked up at him, back to Hange, and then his daughter (she still wasn’t looking at him). Cursing under his breath, he turned back to the fridge. Damn his friends and daughter for knowing how to calm him down with desserts. He was so weak for sugary concoctions.

He ignored the three that were sitting down chatting with each other after he gave his friends their coffee and a glass of milk for Mikasa. Looking into his fridge, he was thinking of what ingredients are needed to make pancakes. Looking at the eggs, an idea passed through his mind and he whipped his head to where the fruit basket is. Seeing the other ingredient, Levi grabbed the eggs from the fridge and moved to the cupboards to take out a mixing bowl. Busy preparing breakfast, he didn’t pay attention to the conversation that was going on a few feet away from him.

“Mikasa, I love your shirt! Is it from Eren’s store?” Hange asked taking a sip of their coffee.

Looking down at her pale yellow shirt with three kittens in purple, blue, and pink sleeping, Mikasa nodded, “Thank you, and yes, it’s from Eren’s store.”

“I guess Levi wanted an excuse to buy stuff from Eren?” Erwin asked

Mikasa smiled a little and starting swinging her feet back and forth. “I think so. But it took us a while to finish checking out the shopping cart since he spent so much time staring at Eren’s photos.”

Erwin started chuckling and Hange started full-out laughing.

“Shut it, shitty glasses. People are still trying to sleep,” Levi said as he placed plates, utensils, syrup, butter, and jam in front of everyone.

Each plate had five small pancakes with powdered sugar on top. Taking a closer look, Mikasa noticed that the pancakes were much flatter than normal.

Seeing Mikasa’s confusion, Levi explained, “I used the two-ingredient pancake recipe from Eren.”

Ignoring the two other adults’ muffled laughter, Mikasa poured syrup on the pancakes and cut them into smaller pieces. Taking a bite, she hummed in approval and continued eating.

“These are great, but I wouldn’t consider them pancakes. How did you make these anyways?” Erwin asked after eating half of his food.

Levi shrugged. “A banana and two eggs. It was really quick to make, low in calories and high in protein.”

“If you don’t add all of this stuff anyway,” Hange mentioned, tapping on the bottle of syrup with their fork.

“If you didn’t want to eat, you should’ve said so earlier,” Levi said as he reached for their plate. Levi leaned back into his seat once he saw that they were blocking his hands away from their plate. “Yeah, I thought so.”

After finishing their food and eating a few doughnuts (Levi ate about half a dozen by himself), they helped Levi with the dishes. The four moved into the game room and Mikasa went to set up the laptop to the TV while the adults sat on the couch.

“So, what kind of stuff did you send to the precious cupcake?” Hange asked.

“Well, you’ll know in a few minutes, wouldn’t you?”

“Mikasa, do you need any help?” Erwin called from his spot.

“I got it!” Mikasa called back as the screen popped up the YouTube homepage. Mikasa typed in Eren’s channel name and clicked on the live stream video and went to the couch to sit next to Levi.

“It’s starting!” Hange cried out.

Levi took the wireless mouse and refreshed the page and clicked on the full-screen option. He sucked in his breath as he saw Eren’s face appear on his TV.

Eren blinked underneath his large white-framed glasses. His hair was pulled up with some flowery clips pulling his bangs out of the way. He was wearing a pink oversized sweater that had prints of bones throughout the whole sweater and, from what Levi could see, white shorts. He wasn’t wearing makeup this time, but it didn’t make him any less beautiful.

The pastel boy stared into the camera and Levi felt his heart stop. The lighting from the room Eren was in hit his eyes just right. His green and gold eyes seem to sparkle even more than usual in Levi’s opinion. Those eyes looked down and then back up. Eren’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

_“Is this working?”_ Eren asked to the camera. He looked back down and after a moment started smiling.

_“Yay! Sorry about this, it’s my first time doing this. Anyway, hello my darlings! Welcome to my first live stream. Oh my god everyone, you all spoil me too much. I went to check my PO Box and almost had a heart attack. The post office workers there scolded me a bit and told me to clear it more often.”_ Eren chuckled at the memory. _“Let’s just say that my car was completely packed.”_

Eren then reached to the camera and turned it to another area. The video lagged a bit, but once it became clear, there were piles of boxes of various sizes and a pile of envelopes right next to it. Levi immediately saw the box he sent. How could he not? It was the largest one after all.

_“Seriously everyone, I’m still in complete shock. There’s so many of you who sent stuff from all over the world! I’ll try not to cry, but I’m so grateful that you all took the time, money, and effort in sending something. Trust me when I say that I’ll go through every package and read every letter that makes it way over here.”_ Eren smiled at the camera, but it was obvious how overwhelmed he was feeling since his eyes expressed everything he didn’t say. _“Okay, I’m way too excited to wait any longer. Which package do you think I should open first? Tweet me which one you think I should.”_

From the corner of his eye, he saw that Mikasa was already on her phone. He doesn’t even need to know what she was tweeting, nor does he want to ask how she even got a Twitter account in the first place.

After a few moments, Eren looked up from his phone. _“I guess everyone wants me to open the really big one, but I think I’ll wait until the very end to open it.”_ He told the camera with a wink.

Mikasa groaned and slumped on the couch and crossed her arms. There was a pout on her face as she grumbled. Hange and Erwin chuckled, now knowing which package Levi sent.

They watched the stream as Eren opened every package and letter. The four made comments here and there on certain items Eren received. Levi even laughed when Eren made a face when he ate some of the limited edition Vegemite chocolates an Australian fan sent him and also making mental notes on certain things that Eren expressed genuine interest and likes on. Levi straightens up in his seat as he saw the second-to-last box placed off to the side.

_“Okay, everyone! This is the last box and I’m super excited to see what’s in here!”_ Eren said with a bright smile and started opening Levi’s box.

Levi felt his heart pounding. A million thoughts ran through his head but all came to an abrupt stop when he heard Eren shriek.

_“Ohhhh! This is so cute!”_ Eren said as he pulled out a teddy bear.

The bear, Levi thought, was embarrassing to get. He took Mikasa to a Build-A-Bear Workshop and asked for her opinion on what to get for Eren. Levi never felt more out of place than being surrounded with cute merchandise all around him, especially since everyone stared at him in his attire. Mikasa had to drag him around the store until they found the perfect bear. But the worse didn’t end there; Mikasa had to ‘make’ the bear and went through the stations to do so. Every questioning look that was sent his way from the store employees were averted by Levi’s glare. The two manage to leave the store with a white fluffy teddy bear with pink, blue, and purple hearts. Levi has never seen a bigger smug look coming from Mikasa than on that day.

Eren’s cooing broke away from his thoughts as he saw that Eren pulled out several clothes and accessories that he could dress the bear as he liked. Eren started spouting compliments and comments and hugged the teddy bear in a tight hold. Levi released the breath he didn’t know he was holding and he felt as though his heart would explode by the adorable sight in front of him.

Eren pulled out each item from the box one by one: several rolls of washi tape in different prints, the LUSH POP gift box (Mike couldn’t decide which bath bombs would be the best, so Levi decided to get all of them), many different styles of necklaces, bracelets, hairbands, hair clips, and rings; snacks the States had that Canada doesn’t, different colored bottles of nail polish (after replacing the ones Mikasa and Annie used), and a fluffy pink pillow. After expressing gratitude for each item and placing them off to the side, Eren reached to the bottom of the package and made a look of confusion as to what was in the narrow box. Finally opening it, he made another sound of happiness.

_“OH MY GOD! THESE ARE SO CUTE! I really hope that they fit!”_ Eren said as he stood up and taking the pair of heels out of the box. He placed his foot gently into the heels and squealed when they slipped on perfectly. The heels were light pink in color, closed toe with a plastic bow on top covered in gems. Eren took a few steps in them and even did a twirl.

_“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love these so much!”_ Eren exclaimed to the camera. He went back to the package and squealed more when he pulled out three more boxes, each with a pair of shoes in the same design but different colors: blue, green, and white.

Erwin gave a low whistle. “Wow, Levi. You went all out.”

“Aw, Levi! I think you’re going to make him cry!” Hange said.

Eren made small, quiet noises of happiness before he looked back at the camera. _“I have no idea how you know my shoe size-” ‘Instagram,’_ Levi quickly thought. _“-but these are absolutely wonderful! I’m going to wear these every day if I can.”_

Eren took off the heels and set them aside with all the other stuff from the package. _“Oh, I have two letters? I’m guessing this is from two people?”_ Eren asked as he took out the last items from the box. One of the envelopes had _‘Read me first!’_ written on it, and the other had Eren’s name written elegantly.

Placing the other envelope down, Eren read the one that told him to read first. His mismatched eyes went back and forth as he read the letter, another smile making its way to his face. _“Aw, this is so cute! Thank you ‘M’ for your letter! I’m glad that you enjoy my content so much. Just don’t tease your dad so much, okay?”_

Levi poked Mikasa on the cheek and she gave him a grin.

Eren placed the letter down and then picked up the other one.

Levi gulped as he felt time ticking slowly as he watched Eren read his letter. His heart felt like it was literally going to break through his chest, watching Eren’s reaction as he read the letter until he saw tears leaking out of Eren’s beautiful eyes.

Oh no. Did Levi fuck up and make the pastel angel cry?

“Shit, Levi. You actually did make him cry,” Levi heard Hange comment but paid no attention to them. His silver eyes were filled with worry, wondering what’s going on with Eren.

After a few moments, Eren placed the letter down and took off his glasses and then rubbed his eyes. He sniffled a bit before a gentle smile graced his face.

_“I’m really sorry for crying like that. If you’re watching and you’re the one who wrote the letter, don’t worry, it didn’t make me sad or anything like that,”_ Eren reassured. Levi let out a sigh of relief. _“It’s just... I’m really, really overwhelmed with emotions right now. I... thank you. I don’t think I can express that enough. You thank me for all I’ve done for you and your family, but you are an amazing father. I’m so glad the two of you are able to bond a lot more through my videos. You are an amazing, beautiful human being, and I’m grateful that the two of you are fans of mine.”_ Eren’s tears didn’t stop, but he still gave a bright smile.

Eren has never looked more beautiful to Levi than at that moment.

Wiping his tears, Eren chuckled. _“I told myself that I wouldn’t cry during the stream, but I did anyway. Thank you all so much for being here with me for my first stream! I’ll be posting this stream up right after it’s done. Thank you all so much again; I can’t thank you all enough, those who watch, those who were tweeting, and those who sent something, thank you. Oh wow, this went on for two hours, and I know some of you are supposed to be sleeping. That’s is all for now, my darlings! And Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. Until next time lovelies!”_ Eren ended off with a wink and blew a kiss to the camera.

The screen went black and it was just silence in the room.

Hange turned their head to tease Levi but stopped. They made eye contact with Erwin, and the two nodded. They stood up and said their farewells, not at all bothered by the lack of response.

Hearing the front door click shut, Mikasa looked up at Levi.

He was still staring at the screen but there was a small, but genuine smile on his face and his eyes had a look of pure adoration. It was rare for him to have that kind of expression. Not knowing exactly what to do in this kind of situation, Mikasa did what she could and went on his lap and hugged him.

“Dad? Are you okay?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m just really happy right now.”

Feeling fingers through her hair, she let out a content hum and the two stayed like that until their eyes slowly closed and the two drifted off for an early nap with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coffee didn't help you at all, did it Levi?
> 
> In other news, I finally know how to respond back to comments without being an awkward turtle about it. ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧


	8. Mad Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, why hello there.

Eren stared at the screen for the past few minutes in frustration. She has been browsing through Pinterest for a while now and couldn't find any inspiration for a Halloween video. Groaning, she moved the laptop from her lap onto the desk next to her. Lying on the bed, she lifted her glasses onto her head and started to rub her eyes. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of what she can do for her next video. Another makeup tutorial? DIY home crafting ideas? Halloween party treats? Or-

_Knock knock._

Blinking, she sat up. “Who is it?” Eren asked.

“Neigh, neigh, your boys are here,” a voice called out.

“Why the fuck did you greet them like that?” another voice chimed in.

Glancing at her phone, she raised an eyebrow. Huh, they came earlier than usual. Grinning, Eren put the glasses back on her face as she walked to open the door. “I think Connie is onto something, Jean. You should take his example and start greeting like that. And it’s she/her pronouns today.” Opening the door wider, she let her friends into her dorm room.

“My bad if you all want to ride this but can’t,” Jean smugly replied.

Eren and Connie gave him a disgusted look.

“Dude, no,” Connie said as he hopped onto the bed.

“Ponyboy, we all know it’s the other way around when you’re with Marco,” Eren said with a wink, laughing at Jean’s red face as she sat down on the chair at her desk.

Jean let out an indignant huff as he joined Connie on the bed, grumbling under his breath.

“So, how were midterms?” Eren asked the two.

“Brutal. I don’t even know why there has to be a midterm for Greek mythology for my program and why I’m taking it the first place. The whole course can be summarized to Zeus fucking everyone and everything.” Connie complained as he fell onto his back on the bed.

“Uh, because you didn’t pick an elective on time and the school picked it for you?” Eren replied.

“Screw you, princess. All you have to do is finish your final projects and you’re done,” Jean shot at her, almost accusingly.

Eren shrugged. “First of all, I’m always a queen.” She raised a brow, asking them to challenge her. “Secondly, it’s not my fault my program is going to be done this term. And third, you two will be done by the next term, so you’re going to be graduating soon too.”

Connie continued groaning. “I want this to be over.”

Rolling his eyes at his friends grumbling, he asked the brunette, “Speaking of which, have you decided what to do after you graduate?”

“I’m not too sure, but I think I want to be a YouTuber full-time,” she replied.

Connie sat straight up. “Do it! Oh man, I wish I could be a YouTuber too!”

“Yeah, Eren, you’re so lucky that you have people sending shit to you for just batting your lashes and companies sending you free stuff to cover your face with,” Jean said.

Eren grabbed the nearest projectile – in this case, a bedazzled pen – at Jean’s face.

“Oh, fuck you, horse face. I’ll have you know that I have over two million people who like to see my pretty face, thank you very much,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she moved up from her spot.

Noting that it was going to be the start of another verbal fight between the two, and no Historia or Marco in sight, Connie tried to distract them. “Oh, hey, uh, Eren? What’s the next video going to be?” Connie asked, hoping that the change of topic will calm the girl down.

Almost like a switch, Eren plopped back down on her seat and looked down at the floor. “Ugh, I don’t know. I’ve been looking around for some inspiration, but I can’t find any. I know Halloween is right around the corner, but I don’t know what to do. I did some nail art tutorials and that creepy zipper face tutorial last year, but the other beauty gurus already posted their Halloween videos and I don’t want to do one that would be similar to theirs.” Eren explained in frustration.

“Well, what are the other YouTubers doing?” Jean asked.

“A lot of basic and generic last-minute costumes and horror make-up tutorials,” Eren replied.

The three of them looked at each other for a good while in silence.

As if on cue, there was another knock on the door.

“Eren? Are you in there?” a soft voice called.

Eren got up from her chair and opened the door to see a petite blonde and a tall brunette.

“Yo! Pronouns?” Ymir greeted.

“Hello to both of you, and it’s she/her today, Ymir, thank you for asking,” Eren replied.

“You’re welcome, milady,” Ymir replied with a wink as she walked into the room with an arm around Historia’s waist. Seeing as the bed was occupied, the duo sat on the carpet next to each other and Eren went back to her seat.

“So, what happened? We didn’t hear any noise when I knocked,” Historia asked.

“Ah, Eren is having a, uh, I guess video idea block? I dunno. She doesn’t know what to do for a Halloween video,” Connie replied.

Historia nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean. I couldn’t figure out what to do until I used Eren’s flower crown tutorial to make my elf warrior princess costume for my video.”

“And you looked like the goddess you are,” Ymir complimented as she quickly kissed Historia’s cheek.

Eren nodded in agreement. “It’s true. And I also got more viewers thanks to you since you linked my video in your description.”

“Anything for the Queen,” Historia replied with an appreciative smile.

Historia made her first debut on Eren’s beauty channel a few months ago for the ‘My Boyfriend Does My Makeup’ challenge. Since Eren didn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend at the time, nor did she trust most of his friends with her makeup without destroying it, she asked Historia to help her. Needless to say, Eren looked gorgeous from the makeup Historia did for her, but Eren’s fans were speculating their relationship (even though Eren made it perfectly clear in the beginning of the video that they were only close friends and Historia already had a girlfriend) and absolutely adored Historia and wanted the blonde in more videos.

After some prodding and convincing from Eren and Ymir, Historia made her own beauty channel, _KristaLenz_ (a fake name Historia created), and it almost has one million subscribers. While Eren favored more towards the pastel and cute look, Historia focused more on natural and the regal look. The two would often do collaborations and try to direct their viewers to the other’s channel.

“Well, I overheard from some guys in my class going as video game characters for Halloween. Maybe, I don’t know, do a tutorial of a character from a horror game?” Ymir suggested.

Eren looked at her thoughtfully. “I suppose. At least it’s a start. Which horror game, though?”

Connie and Jean stood straight up so quick, it startled the girls in the room.

“What’s going on? What’re you idiots thinking of now?” Ymir asked as she tried to cover Historia. Rolling her eyes at her girlfriend’s protectiveness, Historia half-heartedly pushed Ymir away from her but placed a hand on Ymir’s thigh to calm her down.

“That’s it! Jean-bo, you know what I’m thinking?” Connie asked.

“Yes, my dear Connie, it’s time to teach these uncultured swine the world of lets players!” Jean replied and gave him a high five.

The girls looked at the two with unamused faces.

“Oh, come on now! Do you gu- girls honestly don’t know what we’re talking about?” Jean asked.

The three girls shook their heads. “Nope, not a clue,” Ymir replied.

“And Jean, I already told you that I find ‘guys’ a neutral term,” Eren said with an eye roll.

“Actually…” Historia said. “Are you talking about those people who play video games? I see it sometimes on my homepage.”

Eren was confused. She, herself, mainly checked on other beauty channels on YouTube, and if not, she was usually busy checking out the other different social media platforms for more ideas, inspiration, and interacting with her fans and commenting back on videos.

“Yes! Eren, let me borrow your laptop. We’re going to watch some let’s play videos,” Connie said as he was already grabbing Eren’s laptop and rapidly typing.

Not really against the idea, the girls shifted and moved the furniture a bit so they can all view the video on the laptop. After grabbing some extra throw pillows, everyone made themselves comfortable as Connie clicked on a video labeled, _‘Mad Father | Part 1 | HERE WE FUCKING GO | WALKTHROUGH.’_ Odd choice of a video title, but she wasn’t one to judge. Eren drifted her eyes under the video to who it was made by.

 _“HueManateesStrongest?”_ Eren asked in an amused tone. Odd video title and an odd channel name. Not as though she could say much for herself since her’s was pretty simple.

“Yeah, he’s an amazing let’s player, funny too. I think you’ll like this horror RPG walkthrough that he did a few months ago,” Connie said.

“Though he has done more horror game gameplays, this one is tame compared to others. We wouldn’t want you guys to be scared on his first video,” Jean said with a smirk, but it dropped the moment he got hit by three elbows.

“Alright, enough. The video loaded,” Connie said as he clicked the play button.

 _“Hello, legionnaires, HueManateesStrongest here,”_ the man greeted. Eren raised an eyebrow at that. Does he always call his fans and viewers like that?

_“A lot of you have begged me to play this game. Though RPG isn’t really my style, I decided, why the fuck not? And here we are. From what I heard, it’s more of dialogue and puzzle game compared to the other stuff I normally do. Blah blah blah, hopefully you guys are smart enough to know what’s going on as I play.”_

This man doesn’t bullshit around, does he? Eren thought. Looking a bit closer at the screen, she hummed a bit. He was quite handsome as well.

He was in a dark room only laminated by his computer screen. Whether it was his bedroom or a separate room for making videos, Eren couldn’t tell. The man had black hair in a side shave and undercut hairstyle. Both of his eyebrows were pierced, but one of them had two piercings. Since he was wearing headphones, Eren wasn’t able to tell if the man had ear piercings or not (though, she bet he did). His gray eyes were lined with black eyeliner, but he also had bags under his eyes. And because the camera view was from the waist up, Eren could see the strong muscles of the man’s tattooed arms since he was wearing a studded leather vest.

Eren blinked a few times. The man looked punk, but not hardcore punk. Casual punk was more fitting, but she doesn’t really know the fashion too well. Shaking her head, she focused her attention on the video.

_“The little girl reminds me of Mikasa...”_

“Mikasa is his daughter,” Jean commented.

Eren looked at him in surprise. “He has a daughter? How old is he?”

“I believe he’s 30, but Mikasa is not his biological daughter. Shh, watch the video,” Connie loudly whispered.

_“WHOA. BACK THE FUCK UP, BUDDY. I DON’T CARE THAT YOU’RE HER FATHER. I DON’T TRUST YOU.”_

Eren giggled a bit. It seems that he was already attached to the little girl character.

_“Oh, great. I bet you anything that the father killed the mother.”_

_“NO. YOU AND THAT NURSE BETTER NOT TOUCH HER.”_

_“Wait a minute; she doesn’t look like her mother or her father. Suspicious.”_

_“Oh, happy memories to make me feel sympathetic?”_

_“WHAT THE FUCK? RUN!”_

_“WHO ARE YOU?!”_

_“Ogre, right. Hm, he might be the mastermind or something. I don’t know exactly how I feel about him.”_

They continued watching the first part, but even after the first video stopped, the group continued watching the rest of the parts.

_“WAIT. THAT was the good ending?! This is bullshit!”_

_“But, I guess, in some fucked up sense, the cycle continues.”_

Eren nodded in agreement. Though she wasn’t exactly happy with the ending, it seemed the most realistic. Everyone was going mad in the head in the end.

 _“Alright. That’s the end of Mad Father. Hope you fucks like the video and leave your weird and downright creepy theories in the comments below. I’ll see you next time,”_ the gamer ended off with a weird salute.

The video stopped playing and multiple video thumbnails appeared on the screen. The group started slowly moved from their spots. Stretching, Ymir commented, “Okay, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. He was really good with his narrations and his comments were so in tune with mine. It was actually creepy.”

Connie beamed. “I know, right? He’s amazing. What did you think of the video, Eren? Did it help you at all?”

“It was great,” she smiled. “I really want to do a tutorial for Aya and Maria. Aya’s costume seems like something that would be simple to make, or at least made from stuff found at a thrift store, but I really like Maria’s hair and would like to do a tutorial on it too,” Eren said with a big grin on her face. “Thanks so much you two.” Though she banters with Jean a lot, she couldn’t deny that he was a great friend when he wanted to be. _‘If only he can work on his attitude, though,’_ she thought teasingly.

“Anytime, Yeager. Hey, I think it’s time to head out. I have another assignment due soon and I need to head to the library to grab some materials,” Jean said as he was heading to the door.

“I think we’ll be heading off too. Thanks for having us, Eren,” Historia said as she got up to leave as well.

“Yeah, thanks. We’ll see you soon after all the assignments and tests are over, alright?” Ymir asked as she followed her girlfriend.

“We’re definitely drinking after we’re done with this,” Connie said.

Eren laughed, “Yes, yes. Thanks for coming by. See you all soon.” She waved her friends farewell and then locked the door.

After rearranging everything back to normal, she opened up a new word document so she could type out all of her new ideas before she forgot. As she typed the last idea, she looked down to see that her internet browser was still opened. Clicking on it, she was back on YouTube with _HueManateesStrongest’s_ video thumbnails covering her page. Looking over to the side, she saw that there was another video that had another walkthrough of a game that looked similar to _Mad Father_. Thinking back to the velvety voice and funny commentary, Eren was interested to see what other videos the man made.

Curious, she moved her cursor to click on the video.

Watching another video wouldn’t hurt, would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /flees off to the sunset


	9. Tutorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouhai finally noticed you, Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanboy!Levi makes an appearance.

_Ring ring ring ring ri-_

“What do you want?” Farlan asked in a sleepy voice. He used one hand to cover his mouth as he yawned and the other hand readjusted his grip on his phone. Looking over to his side, he saw that Isabel was still sleeping, lying flat on her stomach and her head deep into her pillow. She hadn’t moved at all from the phone going off and Farlan snorted. _‘Typical Isabel behavior,’_ he thought.

“Farlan? I think I need to go to the hospital,” Levi’s replied in a quiet voice.

At that, Farlan sat straight up and was making a move to grab his things to leave.

“Levi? Shit, what’s wrong?”

“Farlan, Eren posted a new video and I think I’m having a heart attack.”

Farlan stopped on the spot and pulled his cellphone away from his ears and looked at it. Yup, it said that it was still Levi calling and that it was about six in the morning.

With a frustrated groan Farlan said, “Levi, I’ll ask politely as possible, what the fuck?”

“She knows me.”

Farlan was confused for a moment, still trying to ward off his need for sleep, until he realized who Levi was referring to. His friend probably pulled another all-nighter finishing a game, which meant that he wasn’t as coherent like he normally was, but add Levi’s infatuation with the brunette in another country equaled why he wasn’t currently making any sense.

With that being said, though, anything that had to do with the pastel brunette, Levi turned into a love-struck teenager that doesn’t know what to do with themselves when their crush was nearby.

Sighing, Farlan returned to his and Isabel’s bed. The girl still wasn’t awake even with all that noise. Farlan rolled his eyes as he went back to his spot on the bed but rested his back on the headboards.

Getting comfortable, Farlan asked, “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“No, I was finishing up playing _Corpse Party_ and was about to go to sleep until I saw that Eren uploaded a new video.”

“Alright, and what was it about?”

“She made a costume tutorial.”

“And? What about it got you riled up? Was she in a maid costume or something?”

“I wish,” Levi grumbled. “But no, she made costume tutorials of the female characters in one of the RPG horror games I played before.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Is it safe to assume that Mikasa is going to dress up as one of them for Halloween?”

“Once she sees the video, yeah. She’s probably going to beg me to take her to the nearest thrift store or something after school. But Farlan, you’re dismissing what I mentioned earlier.”

“My bad for being a non-functional human being in the morning, so what’s the real reason you’re calling me at the crack of dawn?”

“She said that she got inspired by my videos. _My_ videos. She noticed me, Farlan.”

Even through the phone, Farlan could imagine the excitement Levi was going through. Levi hasn’t sounded this excited since he got the latest Roomba last year on his birthday.

“That’s great Levi, when’s the wedding?”

“Har har. Is this what I get for opening up?”

“Nah. It’s just that we expected you to book a ticket and fly over to where Eren is and propose right then and there. We even made bets on when you’ll finally snap and meet the poor thing that grabbed your attention. Though, most of us are out because we bet too early,” Farlan replied back with a smirk.

“Fuck you all.”

“Good morning to you too. Now, is that all? I would like to at least get an hour of sleep before getting ready to go to the shop.”

“Fine. And I know you’ll tell Izzy about this later, so there’s no point in me asking you to shut up about this. I have to go get ready and prepare Mikasa’s lunch.”

“Eren’s got you whipped.”

“Goodbye, Farlan.”

Farlan was still chuckling when he heard Levi hang up on him. He placed his phone back on the nightstand and tried to get back to sleep. He felt Isabel shift next to him as she rolled over to face him but not opening her eyes.

“Who was it?” she asked in a low, sleepy voice.

“Levi. He was freaking out because of something Eren posted and thought he was gonna die,” he replied as he brushed some hair out of her face.

“Mhm, he can’t die, I still have a bet to win,” she mumbled out before digging her head back into her pillow.

Farlan chuckled as he closed his eyes. “Levi needs to step up his game then.”

* * *

“Mikasa, you look really happy today,” Armin commented. The two were outside the school, waiting for their parents to pick them up.

“Dad’s going to take me to the thrift store for my Halloween costume,” Mikasa replied.

Armin raised an eyebrow. “But, doesn’t Uncle Levi normally buy new costumes instead of getting it second-hand?”

Mikasa shrugged, but there was a small evident smile on her face. “Eren posted a costume tutorial video.”

“Ah,” Armin nodded, understanding completely. “What costume?”

“That’s the best part; she did a tutorial of Aya and Maria from _Mad Father_. Dad did a walkthrough of the game a while ago, and apparently, Eren watched it and used it as inspiration for her latest video. She even gave him thanks!” Mikasa exclaimed, her smile turning into a big grin.

Armin clapped his hands together and smiled as well. “That’s great! Uncle Levi must’ve been happy!”

“He was,” Mikasa giggled, remembering that her father woke her up earlier that day to tell her the news. He made them crepes as they watched the video together (for Levi, it must’ve been the fourth time re-watching it), and she squealed happily when Eren mentioned Levi’s name on YouTube. Even during the car ride to school, she can still see a smile on his face. The video probably put him in a good mood, despite the obvious dark circles under his eyes due to lack of sleep. And at lunch time, Mikasa tried her best not to laugh out loud, because he made her the cutest lunch box yet.

Her dad was so, so whipped.

“You think he’s going to meet Eren in person anytime soon?” Armin asked.

“I sure hope so, pumpkin. I made a bet with the others that Levi will meet Eren by the end of this year,” Erwin said as he walked right up to them. Armin greeted him enthusiastically with a hug.

“Hi, Uncle Erwin. And I don’t know, Armin. I know that Dad gets a lot of invitations to go to different cities for events, but I don’t know if Toronto has any conventions coming up, or if Dad even got invited,” Mikasa said.

“Maybe you can sneak into his room and look into his emails? I know that he tends to ignore guest invitations unless it’s directly from YouTube, but a little look can’t be too much harm,” Erwin suggested with a wink.

“Papa!” Armin scolded. Erwin just chuckled and raised his arms in defence.

“Hmm... maybe. I’ll try it at least. Thanks, Uncle Erwin,” the girl said.

Armin made an indignant noise, just as Levi pulled up. “Oi, are you ready to go?” Levi asked, nodding to the two blonds as a greeting.

Waving goodbye to Armin and Erwin, the Ackermans left the school grounds and were off to the thrift store.

* * *

“Mikasa, stay still.”

“I can’t, the petticoat is itchy,” Mikasa argued.

“We’re almost done here. Now, look up,” Levi ordered.

Once the eyeliner was done, Levi backed away for a second when the house phone went off.

“Great. Stay here while I go get it,” Levi said as he rushed out of his room.

Mikasa sighed and turned so she can see herself in the vanity mirror. Despite the itchy petticoat she was wearing, she really did look exactly like Aya from _Mad Father_. Smiling at her costume, she turned to look over at Levi’s computer area. Remembering Uncle Erwin’s suggestion a few days ago, Mikasa got off the stool and headed over to the computer, hoping that whoever called will stall her dad for a while longer.

Luckily, the Internet browser was still open and she switched to Levi’s business email tab. Finding nothing in the inbox, she switched over to the deleted emails. She probably went through two pages in the deleted mail until one subject line caught her attention, _‘Toronto Game Con – Honoured Guest Invitation.’_

Clicking on it, she quickly read the contents of the email and smirked. She quickly forwarded the message to Hange’s email with the subject line, _‘Keep this secret from Dad – Mikasa’._ Going to the sent folder, she also deleted the message and switched back the tab. After making sure that everything was how Levi left it, she got off the computer and went back to the vanity. Trying to make herself look as inconspicuous as possible, she grabbed her phone and browsed through the web.

A moment later, she got a text from Hange that read, _‘Got it, honeybuns! ٩(ᐛ )و,’_ just as Levi strolled into the bedroom.

“Sorry for making you wait so long, the telemarketer wouldn’t shut up.”

Mikasa shrugged, “It’s okay, I was just on my phone.”

Nodding at that, Levi grabbed the blush and applied it on her cheeks. After readjusting the bow one last time, he took a step back and smiled at her. “Okay, it’s done, Mikasa. You look exactly like her.”

Grinning at him she got up and did a twirl before looking in the mirror again. She wouldn’t have thought that blush would make much of a difference, but it made her look livelier and doll-like, perfect for her character. “Thanks, Dad!”

“Anytime. Now, let’s eat a bit before we meet up with the others,” Levi suggested.

“Is Uncle Erwin going to dress up as Captain America again?” Mikasa asked as they reached the kitchen. She didn’t even bother asking if Levi about dressing up, he never did.

Levi snorted. “That man has dressed up as Captain America every year for Halloween ever since I’ve known him in high school. If anything, he just has to get a bigger size because of his stupid muscles.”

After eating, the two left the house. Kids were walking or running down the street, ringing doorbells and shouting, “Trick or treat!” Seeing the three blonds at the park, Mikasa rushed over to Armin, complimenting on his Dio costume. His outfit paired perfectly with Mikasa’s.

“Nice costume, Armin. Though, not nearly as creepy as I thought it would be,” Levi said as he walked over to them.

“Thank you, Uncle Levi. And we couldn’t figure out how to do the makeup for the eye, so we did bandages instead,” Armin said.

“Okay, kids. Ready to get some candy?” Erwin asked in his, of fucking course, Captain America costume.

“Wait, let’s take a picture first,” Mike suggested, dressed up as Thor. Levi snorted again that evening; he was willing to bet that Erwin convinced him to wear it. He pulled out his cellphone and took a picture of the four. Once they were finished with their silly poses, the group left the park and the kids quickly ran off to the houses.

When it was Levi’s turn to go to the door with the kids, Erwin looked at the new message that he received and then looked at Mike. “Did you get the text from Hange as well?”

“Yeah,” Mike nodded, holding up his phone, the message glowing brightly in the night. “Mikasa is a crafty one, that’s for sure,” Mike said as he watched Levi scowling at a teenager into giving the kids more candy.

Erwin smirked. “It seems that I’m going to be the winner of the bet very soon.”


	10. Haters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself this would be 10 chapters long. LOL NOPE. 
> 
> Anyways, I have good news and bad news:
> 
> The bad news is, I'm changing the time I'll be updating. I normally post a new chapter a bit after midnight in my timezone. This is becoming a problem since I need to wake up early for work. So instead of midnight, I will be starting to post the chapters at around 18:00 EST.
> 
> ♥ The good news? eternally-pre-occupied drew QueenPastelEren! Check it out, [it's beautiful!](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/124332781524/just-some-fan-art-i-drew-of-what-i-think)
> 
> ALSO! This hit 500 kudos! HOORAY! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧ Thank you all SO MUCH for your continued support of this fic! As thanks, I'm hosting a giveaway! :D Please check out [this post](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/124459237804/click-on-my-heart-giveaway) for more details. (Please note that the next chapter is already posted on my tumblr, so... spoiler alert?)

Eren was lying on his dorm bed, covering himself with blankets and pillows.

It was one of those days.

Eren squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

 _‘Don’t let it get to you,’_ he thought.

He turned over to where his laptop was resting innocently. Well, the inanimate object was innocent but the people behind the screen were not.

Sighing, Eren tried to not think of them, tried not to let them under his skin.

Ever since he posted the _Mad Father_ costume tutorial two weeks ago, he received a lot of attention. A majority of it was good; people praised how accurate the costume was to the game.

But then, there were the bad ones. Not a lot, but enough for Eren to notice them. He got them on his videos all the time of course, but maybe it was because Eren mentioned HueManateesStrongest in the video that he was garnering a lot more attention this time. A handful of comments were just saying how inaccurate the costume it was (when it obviously was), but it was mainly derogatory comments about _her_ , the Queen, instead of the actual content. The comments ranged from accusing him being a fake and putting up a front to lengthy ones about how genderfluidity did not exist.

Eren scoffed at that. His fans tried to reason with these people, but they didn’t listen to reason, they were just there to judge and make fun. It creates the whole ‘them versus us’ scenario that Eren couldn’t control whatsoever. He has learned that he should just let it be, but it still sucked that he couldn’t really do anything to dismiss those kinds of people besides deleting comments and blocking those users.

Sighing again, he turned the other way. He smiled when he saw the different variety of plushes he received from his fans. He looked at all the cute, fluffy, and soft animals that took up a good amount of space on his bed, but his mismatched eyes lingered on one particular one.

Staring at it a little longer, he reached for the white teddy bear with heart patterns and held it close to his chest. He let out a breath and relaxed, squeezing the bear a little tighter. Though a lot of the plush he received were soft, this bear was made to be firm, Eren noticed, but he actually preferred it this way. It felt more solid like he was hugging another person.

Letting go of his vice-like grip on the bear, Eren reached over to the drawers to pull out several sheets of paper. They were all letters his fans sent him and reading them always seemed to cheer him up. Sitting up, he grabbed his glasses that were on the nightstand and took his time to read each letter, one by one, and the bad mood he had a few minutes ago slowly began to disappear. It probably took him about an hour to read each one of them thoroughly until he reached the last two.

Now, he knew he shouldn’t favor certain fans over the others (all of his fans were precious to his heart), but he couldn’t help it with this particular family that made him feel more content. It was something about the father-daughter duo’s letters that make him smile bright like a Christmas tree for the rest of the day. Picking up the letter with the less-than-refined handwriting (for what it was worth, the kid had better handwriting than he did when he was around her age. Better vocabulary too), Eren began to read.

_Dear Eren,_

_Hello! I first found your videos when I was over at my Auntie’s house. She was babysitting me and we were bored, so Auntie thought it would be fun to do each other’s hair. She searched up tutorials on YouTube, and that’s how we found your ‘Lace Braided Bun Tutorial’ video. You looked so pretty! From then on, I always watch your videos, and with my Auntie when I’m at her house._

_And recently, my dad found your videos too. I think he watched all of your videos at least twice by now. And thanks to you, he makes good food now. We used to eat take out all the time, but he now uses your videos for recipes and my stomach thanks you for that! Also, his cat drawings actually look like a cat now._

_I hope we didn’t go over-the-top with our gifts. It was funny to go into the Build-A-Bear store with my dad because he looks scary and can sometimes makes kids cry if he glares at them. But he’s really nice, just weird and dorky._

_My dad likes your videos a lot and I call him out on it. It’s funny seeing him turn red._

_You are amazing and awesome and I hope I can meet you one day._

_Sincerely,_

_M_

Giggling as he reached the end of the letter, his heart started to beat a little faster as he grabbed the last letter that was printed in small, neat writing.

_Dear Eren,_

_I want to start off by thanking you for being you._

_You probably read my daughter’s letter already, and knowing her, she probably wrote something to embarrass me, but whatever, it’s better this way._

_Just a little background about her, my daughter was always quiet and stoic. She still is, but not as how she was before. In other words, she has changed. She’s still the strong-headed girl I know and love, but she’s sassy and witty with me and we’re able to communicate more with each other. How this change happened, I’m not entirely sure when, but I believe it was because of your videos. As a parent, having their child openly communicate with them shows trust and respect. You have no idea how happy that makes me to know that she can talk to me freely and without fear of judgement._

_I personally found your videos when I was searching on how to make a flower crown for her. It was the same video that my daughter found on my computer and that’s how we started bonding. Well, it was more of her poking fun at me, but you get the idea._

_You have probably already seen the stuff we sent you. Take these gifts as thanks. I would love to give more, but I wasn’t sure if it’ll be an inconvenience for you to carry all of it. Hell, I don’t even know the shoes fit (I really hope though). But really, you deserve everything and more. Your dedication to your videos and to your fans is wonderful to see._

_You have no idea how much you mean to our family and what you’ve done for us. I can’t thank you enough. This might sound cheesy as fuck, but I hope your days shine bright like your beautiful personality and the love you have for others._

_Sincerely yours,_

_R_

Shit, Eren wanted to cry. Gently placing down the letter, Eren blinked several times, trying to will away the tears that were threatening to spill.

These were letters from a family he never met before, but knowing that he had a huge impact on this family’s life that made Eren overwhelmed with emotions. He felt proud that the family was able to become closer and he was overjoyed that it was his videos that were the cause of it.

Looking over to the pile of letters, Eren bit his lips, wondering how he should respond to them. He dropped off many of the gifts his fans sent to him at his parent’s house when he visited them for Thanksgiving, but he kept the return addresses in case he wanted to reply back. Looking back down to the mysterious father’s letter, he decided with determination that he would respond to each one of them as thanks for being his fans.

Taking his negative energy from before, he channeled it into eagerly writing a thank you note to each person who wrote and/or sent a package using the cute stationary that he received and decorated them with washi tape and stickers.

It was again, the father-daughter family’s letters that Eren left to do last. Even though they had the same address, after some pondering, Eren decided to personally send the family separate letters. As he finished writing the last one, Eren leaned back to stretch and checked his phone.

Damn. Writing letters took a lot longer than expected.

Deciding to take a break, he opened up his laptop and looked at his subscriptions to see if there was anything new to watch and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that _HueManateesStrongest_ uploaded a new video. Seeing the channel name reminded Eren of the letter he just finished for the father with a daughter.

Eren cursed at himself. Just because Levi (as Eren learned his name through other videos that he had watched) was also a father, didn’t mean that it was the same one from the letter. For one, it was likely that the one in the letter already has a significant other, and two, it was signed as a different name.

But still, Eren was allowed to dream, right? And really, who could blame him? Levi was a devilishly handsome man despite his vulgar language and dark appearance. And although his opinions sometimes offend certain people, he was honest and straight to the point; he doesn’t have time for bullshit which Eren really liked in a person. And the few times Mikasa appeared in videos, Levi was more relaxed and smiled more which always made Eren’s heart melt because that family was just too cute.

Glancing at the pile of letters that were in envelopes, but not yet sealed, Eren decided, fuck it, and grabbed his favorite lavender lipstick. Afterwards, he sealed all the envelopes and organized them to know how many stamps he needs for letters within the country, within the continent, and internationally.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Eren felt good about himself. He probably spent a good solid five hours from the moment he started reading the letters to writing out thank you notes ready to be sent, but it was worth it.

Thinking back at the new video Levi posted, Eren grabbed his cellphone to make a call.

“Hello, this is Sasha speaking.”

“Hey, Sasha! I was wondering if I can borrow your kitchen again.”

“Hey, Eren! And of course! You have a new video you want to make?”

“Kinda. I just want to experiment with a new recipe I had in mind.”

“Then get your pastel ass over here! I’m hungry!”

Eren let out a laugh. “Alright, Sasha. Thanks and I’ll see you in a few after I get all the ingredients and stop by the post office.”

“Sounds good. See you soon!”

Hanging up, he looked at the recently posted video and quickly made a list of all the stuff that he needed. Grabbing a pink tote bag, he carefully placed the thank you notes inside and slung it over his shoulder.

Still wearing the lavender lipstick, he grabbed his car keys and shut the door behind him and quickly walked out of the dorms with a bright smile on his face.

Fuck the haters. The Queen has a loyal following to please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've already went on my tumblr and read the post entirely, here is the form: [good luck! :)](http://goo.gl/forms/ZPTd8NurZw)


	11. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now back to your regular programming of everyone conspiring (for good) against Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *FLAILS AROUND*
> 
> COMH got more fanart!!! Please go check it out!
> 
> ♥ kionem drew the beauty guru [Queen](http://kionem.tumblr.com/post/124212623645/like-hes-the-polar-opposite-of-me-wears-pastel), and the kpop [King](http://kionem.tumblr.com/post/124608590240/uuuuuggghhhhh-ive-lost-what-little-talent-i-had)!  
> ♥ pa-nu drew the [fanmail opening](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/124612658526/hello-i-adore-your-fic-click-on-my-heart-and-i) scene in Chapter 7!  
> ♥ putonlevis got some crayons and drew the lovely [Eren](http://putonlevis.tumblr.com/post/124603792152/fuck-he-was-trying-his-best-not-to-squeal-but) complete with flowers!
> 
> Ahh.. my heart can't take all the loveliness. (●´□`)♡ Thank you so so much!

The light jingle from the front entrance diverted Mike’s attention from the inventory to the front door.

“Welcome to Zoe’s Flowers & Pla- oh. Afternoon, Levi, didn’t expect to see you today,” Mike greeted.

Levi walked up to the counter and nodded. “Afternoon, Mike. Hange called earlier asking- Actually, no. More like _demanded_ I come here as soon as possible.”

Mike raised an eyebrow at him. “Why did they demand you to come here for?”

Levi shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

The moment he finished his sentence, he heard a faint yell of his name (more like a squall if Levi has anything to say about it) before his back met the flower shop’s floor.

Levi struggled as he tried to detangle their limbs. “ _Hange_ , get off of me. Why do insist on doing things like this?” He let out a huff of irritation and moved their arms away from his head.

Hange laughed. “Because it’s fun and it’s tradition!”

“I see nothing traditional about it,”’ Levi deadpanned as he finally got off the ground.

“I always do it when I see you so, therefore, it’s tradition!” Hange reasoned.

Levi looked at them incredulously before shaking his head. He had given up long ago trying to understand their logic and just went with the flow. “So, what did you need me for?”

“Ah, right. Wait right here, I’ll be right back,” they said as they ran towards the back of the store.

Before Levi can voice out any complaints, Hange came right back. Geez, if they weren’t so busy experimenting different breeds of plants, Levi was certain that they would make a great Olympic runner with the boundless energy that they had.

Levi wondered what Hange was hiding behind their back, though, judging by the maniac grin on their face told him that they were up to no good.

“Okay, what is it?” Levi asked as he crossed his arms.

“Well~” they started off in a sing-song voice. Levi felt his eyebrow twitch before they continued, “Remember that package you sent to your precious cinnamon roll?”

“Yes...” Levi replied slowly and hesitantly. What were they trying to get at?

“And you remember that you sent the package with my store as the return address?” they stalled.

“Yes...?”

“And do you also remember that you almost made them cry on their stream?”

“Yes, I do, and I still feel bad about it if that’s what you’re trying to get me to say. Now, are you going to tell me why you asked me to come here, or should I go to the back and destroy your experimental waste of spaces?” Levi asked, glaring daggers at them. Mike, who was still listening in on the whole conversation, was sending snapchats to his husband of what was going on.

Hange let out a dramatic gasp. “You wouldn’t DARE touch Sawney and Bean!”

“Just try me,” Levi growled out.

“Alright, alright. You’re no fun,” Hange pouted. They handed Levi two envelopes that were hiding behind their back and grinned, waiting for Levi’s reaction.

Levi looked at the letters skeptically before taking a hold on it and his eyes moved to the top left corner of the envelope. Mike took the opportunity and luckily got a picture of Levi’s look of shock when he realized who sent the letters and promptly sent the picture to his husband.

It was Eren.

Eren sent them letters.

Eren sent them _separate_ letters.

Levi schooled his expression to make it so he looks indifferent, but being friends with the shorter man for too long, Hange and Mike could see his eyes positively _sparkling_ in excitement.

Noticing that he didn’t move for some time, Levi coughed and looked away. “Er, thanks, I guess. Well, I need to be going now. I, uh, need to do some editing or something. So, bye.”

The two weren’t deterred at all by his reaction, waving at his back as he walked away with the envelopes in his hands.

“Don’t forget that Thanksgiving dinner is at our house this year!” Mike called out.

Levi gave him a two finger wave as acknowledgment without turning back and left the store, the door’s bells letting out a soft jingle to signal his departure.

The two left in the store gave each other grins.

“So, how are the plans coming along?” Mike asked.

“Perfectly! I got Mikasa to log onto his computer when you took him out for dinner with Erwin the other day to respond back to the convention people. She copied my confirmation message using Levi’s email address and they promptly responded back with details of the event. They said that they will finalize the hotel room and respond back. The thing, though, is that the flight isn’t covered, so we need to do something about that and need to check if Levi’s passport is still valid,” Hange explained.

Mike moved his hand to rub his chin with a thoughtful look. “Well, the convention is going to be during the Christmas break, right? How about we all pitch in for his flight ticket as a Christmas and birthday gift? We can also send Mikasa along with him.”

“That’s perfect! I’m pretty sure Mikasa’s passport didn’t expire yet, but I’ll ask to make sure. I’m so excited, Mike! I really want this to work out well,” they exclaimed, jumping on the spot to show how happy they were about their plans.

Mike chuckled. “I want this to work out too. Levi really needs to meet Eren before he literally explodes. While I don’t think Eren will be at the convention, at least Levi will be in the same city. We’ll just have to leave it to Mikasa to check out Eren’s Instagram during the trip and hopefully, they would geotag their pictures so she can find them and convince Levi to go there. She’s a smart girl and one of Eren’s biggest fans, I’m sure the two will meet.”

Hange let out a laugh. “That’s true. If not, I’ll just do a little hacking,” they proclaimed, high fiving the other.

Mike smirked. “He’s so fucked.”

* * *

Levi quickly (but safely) drove back to his house in record time. In his haste to get inside, he almost forgot to take off his shoes at the entrance. Cursing at the annoying laces of his combat boots, he finally managed to get them off and went to the living room area to place the envelopes on the coffee table.

Sitting down with a sigh, he looked at the one that was addressed to him as _‘Mr. R.’_ Chewing his lips, his heart was pounding when he took out his Swiss Army knife and carefully opened the envelope that was covered in stickers and written with a glitter pen. Trying to calm his racing heart, he opened the letter.

_Dear Mr. R,_

_Thank you so much for the gifts you sent me! I’m actually using the washi tape you sent right now to decorate all these letters. They’re all so pretty! I definitely used several of the LUSH bombs you sent me (Sex Bomb and Dragon’s Egg are my personal favourites). The teddy bear now has permanent residency on my bed and my feet have never looked more fabulous._

_I’m not sure if you saw the stream, but just in case, I wanted you to know that you are an amazing father and a wonderful human being. Having fans like you and your daughter brings me great joy and an extra bounce in my step from happiness and I feel extra motivated to make more videos!_

_I hope that you and your daughter will continuously be closer! :)_

_Stay lovely!_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Eren_

The letter was short and sweet, but Levi really needs to get himself to the ER, because last time he checked, have his heart beat this much was not healthy.

Especially since, right next to Eren’s signature, was a lavender lipstick mark.

Oh god.

This was how he was going to die.

He couldn’t even hold in the embarrassing sound he let out.

Trying to regain his composure, Levi took in deep breaths and slowly released them in hopes to calm down his heart, but it was in vain since his mind was passing through different thoughts a mile a second. No, he shouldn’t get ahead of himself. Eren probably signed off all of his letters like this. His wasn’t special (but he was allowed to imagine, right?).

As he tried to relax by meditating, he let out an undignified yelp when he felt a finger poke his cheek. He reeled his head back and looked at the source of interruption and saw his daughter right up close to him, not at all concealing her amused face.

“What’re you up to?” she asked as she gave him a hug.

Patting her back as he returned the hug in the awkward position, he replied, “Nothing, just reading something.”

“Uh huh...” she said in a disbelieving tone.

Damn it, he knew he shouldn’t let his friends have his daughter’s number.

Letting go of him, her eyes looked down to see that his hand was holding a letter. Giving her dad a smirk, she grabbed her own letter from the coffee table and sat next to him to open and read it.

Levi watched her from the corner of his eyes as his daughter read the letter and smiling as her eyes went back and forth until it hit the end. “So, what does yours say?” he asked.

“Eren said thank you for the gifts and said I’m cute and told me not to bully you too much,” she replied.

“I agree with that.”

Mikasa stuck out her tongue at him and grabbed the letter from his hand before he could protest.

She let out a huge grin when she finished reading it. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Did you know that my letter doesn’t have a kiss mark?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the amazing Amy ([Tumblr](http://elizabethdarcy.tumblr.com/) and [AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/armsoftheocean)), I now have a beta! From the next chapter on, the chapters will be more consistent, and you will no longer have to cringe at my weird tense-skips. :'D
> 
> Also, have you entered the [giveaway](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/124459237804/click-on-my-heart-giveaway) yet? If you haven't, you have until Sunday to do so!


	12. Mukbang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family dinners are always fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, more fanart AND cosplay?! AND 600 KUDOS?! /dies
> 
> ♥If you want to see sparkles, check out emptyinkbottle's [Eren](http://emptyinkbottle.tumblr.com/post/124874557942/so-i-might-have-jumped-on-cocoachoux-s-click-on)!  
> ♥And if you want to see beauty guru!Eren, check out haruka-hourou's [cosplay](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/124961896814/haruka-hourou-so-i-heard-you-wanted-to-see-some)!

“Welcome, welcome! Glad you made it,” Erwin greeted the Ackermans.

“Don’t give me that shit, Erwin. You know we’ll always make it,” Levi replied.

“Levi! Don’t be so rude! And Erwin dear, thank you for having us,” a woman appeared behind Levi, whacking the back of his head gently before stepping into the house.

“Kuchel! It’s always a pleasure to see you. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you,” Erwin said as he took her hand to place a kiss. In the background, Levi let out a sound that was a mixture of a groan and disgust as he followed right behind her.

Levi’s mother, however, just giggled. “Ah, Erwin, a charmer as always. Levi, why can’t you be more polite like him?” Kuchel asked as she directed her attention back to her son.

“Because we’re not back in high school, _Maman_. Here, we got some wine and pumpkin pie,” Levi said as he indicated to what he and Mikasa were holding.

“Thank you, we appreciate it. Let me take them out of your hands. Dinner will be ready soon, about ten minutes or so. The others are in the living room and Armin is in his bedroom, Mikasa.”

Nodding, Mikasa said, “Thank you, Uncle Erwin,” as she quickly went up the stairs, leaving the adults to find her friend.

Erwin excused himself as he went to the kitchen to put away the gifts. Levi and his mother stepped into the living room where his friends greeted the two enthusiastically, especially Kuchel.

“Kuchel! How are you?” Isabel greeted after she gave the woman a hug.

“Very well, dear. Thank you for asking,” she replied, letting go of Isabel but not after smoothing out some of the redhead’s hair. It was a habit that Kuchel did to Isabel since she was young.

“How was the trip here?” Farlan asked her, moving to give the woman a hug as well.

“Well enough. You know how it is. The flight got delayed as usual. I barely had time to grab my luggage before we were in the car to drive over here,” the older woman replied, chuckling a bit when Farlan gave her a peck on her cheek.

“That’s understandable. Are you going to be staying for a while?” Farlan asked.

“I’ll be leaving on Sunday afternoon. As much as I’ll like to stay longer, I have a shop to run. Isn’t that right, Hange?” she said as she directed the question to them.

“Yup! Gotta meet the demands of the public. Come sit next to me, Kuchel! I need to update you on the new plants I’m working on,” Hange said as they gestured to the seat next to them on the loveseat.

“You’re going to bore her to an early grave,” Levi commented, gaining another whack from his mother.

“Oh, hush, Levi. At least your friends have no problem updating me on what’s going on in their life, unlike a certain son of mine,” she said as she walked past him to sit next to Hange to engage in a long conversation about plants and gardening.

Levi grumbled when Isabel laughed a bit.

“Aw, c’mon big bro, cheer up a bit! You haven’t seen your mother since the summer. And you should call her more often, ya know,” Isabel said, poking one of Levi’s cheek before he smacked her hand away.

Shrugging, Farlan added, “At least she doesn’t know about _you-know-who_.”

Levi whipped his head to look at Farlan who was giving him a smirk and then to Isabel, who was also wearing a matching smirk. Fuck.

“Don’t. You. Even. Dare.” Levi ground out, while also trying not to make a scene since his mother was a few feet away from them.

“Hmm, I don’t know...” they both said in unison.

Levi was about to lunge at them but was interrupted by a large, booming voice.

“Dinner’s ready!” Mike called out.

Levi heard rapid footsteps above him and then down the stairs. Seizing the chance to escape, Isabel and Farlan rushed to the dining room with Hange and Kuchel in tow, though they were going at a calmer pace, still talking to each other as they entered the room to sit down.

“Tch,” Levi let out before joining the rest of them as well.

As he sat next to his mother, he couldn’t help but have a feeling of unease as he stared at the cornucopia centerpiece on the table. He doesn’t need to look up to see how his friends are pretty much fidgeting in their seats. For whatever reason, Levi doesn’t know and does not want to find out.

“Mikasa, I didn’t notice it before, but you have such cute nails. Did you do it by yourself?” Kuchel asked the younger Ackerman as she sat on her other side.

The little Ackerman spread her fingers out, the glossy colors shone as she looked at them and gave her a large grin. “Thank you, _Grand-mère_ , but I didn’t do it, Dad did.”

Mikasa looked over to where her Dad was sitting and raised an eyebrow at his stiffened posture. It was as though she was challenging him to say something about it. Damn it all. Levi knew this wouldn’t be a simple family dinner based off of the shit-eating grins his friends were giving him.

“Oh really now? Levi, I never knew you could do such delicate and detailed flowers on nails. If I recall, you aren’t exactly the greatest artist out there, _mon petit chou_. I remember that you got angry at me when I mistook the human you drew as a bunny when you were little,” Kuchel said, now turning her full attention to Levi.

Levi coughed and looked away from her inquisitive stare. “Ah, Mikasa asked me to do her nails and I just looked for video tutorials to make them look nice,” Levi explained with a shrug.

“Well, I must have my nails done by you before I leave. They are simply adorable. You did such a great job,” Kuchel praised as she reached over to pinch Levi’s cheek.

_“Maman!”_ Levi called out, trying to remove her hand from his cheek.

“Aw! You guys are so sweet!” Hange called out across from them.

“Can it, four-eyes,” Levi glared at them.

Before Kuchel could start her usual scolding again, Erwin entered the room with the turkey.

“Now, now, Levi, play nice. It’s Thanksgiving after all,” he said as he placed the turkey down and sat at the head of the table.

Levi grumbled as all the conversations died down so that everyone could say their thanks before eating.

“So, Levi, has YouTube messaged you about any new events that you need to attend?” Mike asked in a conversational tone while passing the mashed potatoes to Armin.

Levi shrugged. “They invited me to do the stupid year-end YouTube Rewind video,” he said as he poured a liberal amount of gravy over his food.

“Are you going to participate?” Isabel asked.

“Kinda have to considering they’re my source of income and all. Though, I’m not looking forward to the stupid dress debate that will transpire on set,” Levi replied as he scrunched his nose.

“I would pay great money to see you in that dress,” Erwin said, with Hange laughing maniacally in the background. Levi glared at the two and then proceeded to stab the rest of his food.

“So, no other events going on?” Mike continued.

Levi looked at him as he was cutting up his turkey with narrowed eyes. Mike never really pried into his business about his work before, so the sudden questions made his suspicious. “No, wh-”

“Hey Kuchel, what do you think about green and gold?” Isabel interrupted.

The woman gave her with a confused look. “They’re a lovely color combination, why?”

“How about pastels? Do you like pastel colors?” Farlan chimed in, ignoring the murderous aura Levi seems to be emitting.

“Yes I do, but-”

“How about Canadians? What do you think about Canadians?” Hange asked.

“Well-”

_“As I was saying, Mike,”_ Levi intentionally interrupted, “There are no other events that I know of, why?” Levi did not like the way that Mike looked at Erwin. It was as if they were having a conversation with eyes alone until Erwin nodded.

“Well, we planned on waiting until after dinner, but since the others are so eager to tell you in their not-so-subtle ways, I’ll just give it to you now.” Erwin stood up and reached for his back pocket to pull out an envelope and handed it to Levi.

The black-haired man stared at it before taking it from the other’s grasp after placing his cutlery down. Levi really did not like the looks everyone was giving him as he opened up the envelope. “Toronto Game Con?” Levi asked. It looked like a confirmation email to attend the convention. Looking closer, he saw that it was his sent to his business email. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Seeing that his friends and his daughter were ignoring him and looking at the envelope, Levi put the paper down and pulled out two flight tickets going to Toronto. “Start explaining right now, or else I’m going to shove the cornucopia up someone’s ass.”

The rest of the group laughed as if it was a funny joke (even though they all knew that Levi would make good with his threat).

“Uncle Levi, I think it’s time you met Eren,” Armin tried to explain.

Levi’s friends looked at him to see his reaction. Feeling excited or pissed, they couldn’t tell; it was a strange mix of emotions that the short man was letting out.

“Who’s Eren?” Kuchel asked, feeling a bit left out.

Levi froze on the spot. The words that were forming in his mouth didn’t leave.

Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.

“Ohhhhh, Kuchel! Eren is probably the most precious gem to grace this Earth!” Hange exclaimed.

“Eren is a YouTuber that Levi is totally in love with!” Isabel chimed in.

Kuchel let out a small gasp as she turned to look at her son. “Levi! You never told me you were seeing someone!”

“Well, they’ve never formally met before. Eren just knows who Levi is,” Farlan said.

“That needs to change then! I want to see who finally grabbed my dear Levi’s attention,” Kuchel demanded as she placed her cutlery down on her empty plate.

_“Maman!”_ Levi finally voiced out.

“Don’t you _“maman”_ me, Rivaille Ackerman. I just want to see how they look like,” Kuchel said. Levi looked at her in disbelief; did she really have to use his real name in this situation?

“Oh, you’re in for a real treat, Kuchel. Eren is quite the looker,” Mike said with a wink as he stood up to clean up.

“Yes, yes! Eren is amazing!” Mikasa grabbed her grandmother’s hand to lead her to the living room to show her some of Eren’s videos.

Levi was still at the dinner table as the rest left the room. Mike came back and gave Levi a pat on the shoulder.

“It was bound to happen, Levi. We knew that you wouldn’t go there on your own, but you now have an obligation to go,” Mike said.

“You fucks, what makes you think that by going to the convention in the same city will equate to me meeting Eren? Last time I checked, Toronto is a huge fucking city,” Levi asked.

Mike shrugged, “I’m sure fate will guide you. If not, then at least you get to take Mikasa somewhere for Christmas break. I bet she’ll love the snow. And it’s a gift to you and Mikasa from the rest of us.”

Levi looked at the tickets and sighed. “I don’t know whether to hug you all or send you guys to the nearest hospital.”

“You’re welcome,” Mike said as he cleared up the remaining dishes.

Watching the blond leave, Levi stood up with a reluctant sigh and left the room to go to the living room to see what the rest of them were doing.

The moment he went through the doorway, he was greeted by Eren’s wonderful face on the television screen. Levi glanced at the bottom left of the video and noted that the group was watching the latest video Eren posted on his vlog channel.

_“Hello, everyone! A lot of you have been asking me to do this for a while now, and since it’s Thanksgiving for many of my fans, I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a mukbang!”_ Eren greeted in his white-framed glasses, pink clips in his hair, and, to Levi’s joy, a light green crop top.

“Oh, he is quite cute,” Kuchel commented.

Levi would deny that his heart lightened up because of his _maman’s_ approval.

Eren looked at the camera and explained the spread of food in front of him: chicken, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, and a large slice pumpkin pie.

_“I don’t think I can eat this all, but I’m going to try my best,”_ Eren said as he held up a forkful on mashed potatoes to the screen. _“Say ahh!”_

Fuck, it should be illegal to be this cute.

Everyone in the living room watched Eren as he told the camera how his day went, how far along his final projects are, what horse face (his name was actually Jean if Levi remembered properly) did last weekend that set the kitchen on fire, and other topics. The way that Eren spoke was light-hearted and animated. His eyes showed so much emotion, as Kuchel commented.

It really felt as if Eren was having a one-on-one meal with the viewers, almost like a date.

The group continued to watch the video until Eren surprisingly finishing off all the food. _“Oh no,”_ Eren groaned. _“I definitely need to go for a run after this. Well, that’s it for now my darlings! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating! Until next time lovelies!”_

The video stops and Mikasa looked at Kuchel. “So, what do you think _Grand-mère_?”

The older woman looked over to where Levi was standing and then back to the screen. She tilted her head a bit before nodding. “I think that Levi definitely needs to meet Eren and bring him over here.”

Levi groaned in embarrassment. Great, even his _maman_ was siding with everyone else on this.

The rest of the evening was spent on everyone showing Kuchel their favorite videos of Eren until Levi announced it was time to leave when he deemed it was a socially acceptable time to do so. (And also the fact that Levi’s face couldn’t get any redder by the end of the night).

“Thank you again for having us over gentlemen,” Kuchel said.

“Anytime, Kuchel. Please visit us soon. And you two need to start planning for your trip,” Erwin said, directing the last part to Levi and Mikasa.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the food and stuff,” Levi said as he left the house.

Kuchel put her hands on her hips with a huff as she watched her son go into the car. “ _Mon Dieu!_ That son of mine has no manners.”

“It’s okay, Kuchel. You should know better than anyone how awkward he is when he shows his appreciation,” Mike said.

Knowing it was true, Kuchel let out a sigh. “That boy… I hope when Levi meets Eren that he’ll be more polite.”

Mikasa snorted at that. “I think Dad will become more of a dork than he is now.”

Kuchel laughed as the two left the house after giving the Smith family their farewells. “You never know dear, love does interesting things to people. But I do agree with you. I think Levi would have a hard time even breathing with Eren around based on his reactions tonight. Did you notice how your dad’s face turns a little redder every time Eren winks at the camera? Levi has a lot of work to do if he meets Eren.”

Mikasa giggled and nodded, “That’s true.”

“Just keep me updated, okay _mon ange_?”

“Of course, _Grand-mère_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Amy](http://elizabethdarcy.tumblr.com/) for the wonderful edits!
> 
> And the giveaway ends tomorrow, July 26, 2015 at 23:59 EST. If you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? [Hurry!](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/124459237804/click-on-my-heart-giveaway)


	13. #OOTD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear passengers, please fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries* There's more fanart!!!
> 
> ♥ candied-cravat drew the lovely Queen decked out in pink and a flower crown [here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125048383559/candied-cravat-first-off-youre-an-extremely)!  
> ♥ And if you want to get ready with Eren in her pink wig, check out erericoffeelife’s [penwork](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125053775159/erericoffeelife-decided-to-draw-pastelereny)!

“Homework?”

“Check.”

“Jacket?”

“Check.”

“Cellphone and charger?”

“Check and check.”

“Plant tickets and passports?”

“Check and check.”

“Warm clothes to last for the next few weeks?”

“Dad, we already went through this about twenty times, yes.”

“Did you also pack your stuffie?”

“Dad!” Mikasa exclaimed in embarrassment as she snatched away the paper Levi was holding. She huffed as she glared at him, crossing her arms. Levi turned away so he could hide the grin on his face. It was too cute seeing his daughter trying to scold him.

Coughing to hide the laughter that was about to come out, he looked at her apologetically. “Sorry Mikasa, I was just making sure we’re prepared. It’s going to be a long trip, you know. We won’t be back until next year.”

Relaxing her shoulders, Mikasa gave him a smile, “That’s okay, but we really need to go soon. You were the one complaining about the long line-ups, remember?”

Levi groaned, “Don’t remind me.” Double checking the luggage they’d packed in the last week, Levi finally gave his nod of approval. “Okay, we can leave now.”

The two left the house with their luggage and took a final look at their house before Levi locked the door. They walked to the minivan already parked on the driveway. Levi opened the trunk of the car, placing their suitcases inside before getting into the front seat of the minivan.

“Glad you can finally join us,” Erwin greeted.

“Yeah, yeah. Mornin’ to you too,” Levi said as put on his seatbelt.

Erwin chuckled, knowing the shorter man was still a bit grumpy considering it was five in the morning and their flight didn’t leave until nine. He pulled the minivan out of the driveway and onto the main road.

Levi started going through his mental checklist to triple check to ensure everything was in order. At least Erwin and Mike volunteered to routinely check on the house (he doesn’t trust Hange, considering the last time he left the house in their care, all of the plants died; all for the sake of what they called a “botanical breakthrough”). And thankfully, Farlan and Isabel had no problem taking Levi’s car while he was away, as it was convenient for them to use instead of sharing a car.

The trip to the airport was relatively quiet for the most part, save for Mikasa and Armin’s conversation in the back. Even though school was over for the break and Armin could now sleep in, he insisted on coming along so that he could exchange Christmas gifts with Mikasa (they had already exchanged gifts with Annie on the last day of school). Levi looked through the passenger window as they passed by other cars on the highway until they reached the airport.

Erwin persuaded Levi to let him and Armin send them off instead of sticking with the original plan, which was just dropping them off at the departures terminal, and assured the older Ackerman that he had no problem paying for parking. (In Levi’s opinion, paying $15 to park for an hour just to park should be a crime).

The two families went to the airport and tried to navigate through the mass of people walking around them. After finally verifying that they were on schedule and checking in their large luggage, the four walked to the food court for breakfast.

“So, do you know what you’re going to do once you’re at the convention?” Erwin asked.

Levi sipped on his black tea before replying, “Kind of. I’m not really hosting a panel per se, but I’ll be doing a live show of playing a game that the audience picks, maybe even some Q&A type of stuff. The organizers didn’t really give me a concrete schedule of what I’m going to do at the convention because a lot of the planning was done last minute. For now, the convention made rearrangements so that I have a blocked time to entertain the attendees but didn’t specify what I’m going to do exactly, so I’m just going to wing it.”

Erwin chuckled, “I’m sure the audience will love whatever it is that you’ll do. The attendees will be shocked about the last-minute announcement about you going to a convention, especially one out of the country and during this time of the year.”

Levi shrugged at him but there was some truth to his words. Even though he was well-known in the YouTube community, he rarely accepted invitations to be a guest at events, especially ones outside of the country. His reasoning was somewhat justified though; he doesn’t like to be in constricted spaces with thousands of unknown people. While he does appreciate his fans, he doesn’t know what kind of germs they could have that he could get himself sick with; he definitely doesn’t want to come back home with any germs in case Mikasa caught it.

The four continued chatting until it was time for the two Ackermans to go through security before heading to their gate. Levi scrunched up his nose as the group walked over to the security area, remembering the last time he had to go through the metal detectors. He felt bare without his piercings, but he would rather have them removed before leaving and putting them back on when they were at the hotel than awkwardly be pulled off to the side after setting off the metal detectors to remove every single piercing he had.

“Well, this is it. I feel like a father sending off his daughter to see her lover,” Erwin said with a laugh as he dodged Levi’s kick.

“Fuck you. I hope Mike overfeeds you so you won’t be able to walk anymore and will have to roll down the stairs,” Levi retorted.

Erwin continued laughing as he ruffled Levi’s hair. Levi scoffed, why does Erwin have to be such a dad?

“Uhm, here, Mikasa. This is for you. I know the flight is long, so hopefully this will help you with the trip,” Armin said as he gave Mikasa the bag he was holding.

Mikasa accepted the bag and took out a nicely packaged gift. She carefully peeled off the wrapping paper to reveal a book.

“Dragonology?” Mikasa asked in a questioning tone.

“Yeah. It’s a really cool book, and it’s also because you’re known as the ‘Knight’ in Uncle Levi’s videos, so I thought…” Armin explained with a blush.

Mikasa beamed and hugged Armin. “Thank you, this is really thoughtful.” The two 10-year-olds didn’t notice the two camera phones going off.

The two adults thought that the scene was really cute and had to capture the moment, though, one of them wouldn't admit it out loud, with the other quickly sending the picture to his husband.

The black-haired girl pulled away and took a packaged gift from her carry-on bag to give to Armin. “Here, I remembered that you said you wanted to go to an aquarium.”

Armin took the gift from her and opened it gently and gasped when he saw that he was holding a marine biology book. “Thank you so much, Mikasa! We don’t have this one at home yet.”

Mikasa nodded as she was pulled into another hug. “Anytime, Armin. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too. You’re going to message me and Annie about your adventures, right?” Armin asked.

“Mhm, and I’ll let you know if Dad finds Eren,” Mikasa whispered in his ear and Armin giggled.

“Okay, pumpkin. I think it’s time we leave so they can properly check-in,” Erwin interrupted.

Armin nodded to his father and pulled away from Mikasa. “Bye Mikasa, bye Uncle Levi! Have a good trip!”

“Thanks, kiddo. And see you later, Captain Eyebrows, we’ll be back soon,” Levi said as he turned away. Mikasa said her farewells to the two blonds and followed Levi to their designated area.

“Make sure to stay out of trouble and not get deported! That’s what Hange told me to tell you.” Erwin called out and laughed when he received a middle finger in reply.

As the two blonds watch them walk away, Armin asked, “Papa, do you think Uncle Levi will actually find and meet Eren?”

“Uncle Levi better, sweet pea. Or else _**I**_ will go to Toronto myself to make sure it happens. Now, let’s go to the windows so we can see their plane take off.”

* * *

_“Good morning LAX passengers. This is the boarding announcement for non-stop flight 61C to Toronto. We are now calling for…”_

Levi stretched in his seat after hearing the announcement for their flight and looked over to where Mikasa was sitting. She had already opened the book Armin gave to her and stared in wonder because of how interactive the book was. “Mikasa, that’s our call to get on the plane.”

The girl reluctantly closed the book and nodded. She hopped off of her seat and grabbed her carry-on bag as she followed Levi to line up.

She looked around as they walked through the jet bridge to get into the plane. Levi looked down to make sure she was still with him and saw that his daughter’s eyes lit up as they approached the inside of the plane.

They were greeted by the flight attendant and were guided to their seats (first class, because Levi would have a hissy fit if he had to share the bathroom with more people than absolutely necessary). Once they were seated, Levi looked over to where Mikasa was sitting next to the window. She was practically bouncing in excitement.

Levi chuckled, “You really like planes, don’t you?”

“I just really like to be high above the sky. It feels like I’m flying,” Mikasa said with excitement.

Levi just chuckled and took out his phone so he could turn it off for the beginning of the flight. He saw that he had several unread messages but shrugged. He would check them later.

It took a good 45 minutes until all the passengers were seated and the flight attendants did their safety and emergency instructions. Afterward, the captain greeted the passengers over the intercom, letting them know that the plane would arrive in Toronto around five in the afternoon if all went well. Levi settled into his seat as the plane took off and Mikasa was grinning the whole way through.

About 10 minutes after take-off, Levi turned his phone back on to change the time since Toronto was in a different time zone, and to check his unread messages. A lot of them were from Hange, demanding him to bring back souvenirs and cases of maple syrup. Levi rolled his eyes and briefly looked at the other messages until he scrolled down to the last one:

**Shitty Four-Eyes** (9:04 AM)  
_Have you seen Eren’s newest pic on Instagram?!?!_

Levi scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Again, he looked over to where Mikasa was sitting, but she was so engrossed in her new book that she didn’t see her father’s gaze.

Looking back at his phone, Levi’s curiosity got the better of him and he opened up the Instagram app (he never saw the use of it before until Eren) and saw Eren’s newest picture and his usually stoic face flushed red.

Eren was wearing a white knitted oversized sweater (which contrasted nicely against his dark skin) that had little pink bows attached on the bottom hem. Even though Eren wears oversized sweaters a lot, this one, in particular, was even bigger than usual considering, it didn’t cover one of Eren’s shoulders, and it hit just mid-thigh. Eren clearly wasn’t wearing anything underneath given the fact that he was wearing sheer tights with pink heart prints. To Levi’s delight, Eren was also wearing the pink heels he sent weeks ago. And if Levi looked a bit closer, he could see that Eren had very light green nail polish on their fingers as well, peeking through the sweater sleeves.

“Dad? Are you okay? Your whole face is red.”

Levi sputtered before locking his phone. Mikasa raised an eyebrow at his unusual behavior, but let it slide as she went back to her book.

The man let out a deep breath and called for a flight attendant to get him a bottle of water.

He pulled out his laptop to do some editing, trying to distract himself from the lovely, lovely, image he saw a few seconds ago, and also trying to resist the urge to save the photo as his desktop background.

_‘This is going to be a long flight,’_ he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The giveaway is over and the winners have been announced on my Tumblr [here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125206801104/comh-giveaway-winners)!
> 
> Thank you again [Amy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/armsoftheocean) for being my beta! ◟(◔ั₀◔ั )◞ ༘♡ 
> 
> Also, if you're curious of what Eren's outfit looks like in the end, you can check it out on my [Tumblr](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125033494149/hey-dearie-congrats-to-another-great-chapter-as)~


	14. Tweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just admit it already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More lovely fanart from even lovelier people!
> 
> ♥ cowkarma blessed this fic with both [pastel!Eren](http://cowkarma.tumblr.com/post/125128526569/here-is-pasteleren-i-got-really-inspired-by) and unamused [punk!Levi](http://cowkarma.tumblr.com/post/125396343979/i-can-just-imagine-that-this-is-the-face). I’m still laughing at Levi’s face!  
> ♥ And genderfluid/pastel!Eren became yukikazedoodle’s new [muse](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125457703359/yukikazedoodle-aha-i-was-kinda-worried-aboute)!  
> ♥ Very last-minute addition, but doodlez-316 drew the adorable [genderfluid!Eren](http://doodlez-316.tumblr.com/post/125543667150/a-sketch-i-did-for-cocoachoux-ereri-fanfic-called)!

Snowflakes suddenly entered his field of vision. Eren stopped what he was doing and rushed to the window to open it. A crisp, cold breeze went by and Eren shivered in delight. He reached through the crack to let the snowflakes land on his palm, but melting almost instantly because of his natural warm body temperature.

Eren felt a sense of calm as he watched the little white flecks falling from the sky, ready to cover the Earth with more snow. Even though he preferred summer, there was just something so nice about winter that just makes Eren feel really relaxed. It was though time slowed down as the sun sets earlier, and the whole city becomes quiet early in the night. (Though, who in their right mind would drive through the roads with snow and black ice, ready for an accident to happen?) Also, he can laze around in oversized sweaters without judgment.

He probably would’ve been content staying there until his lips turned blue until a knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Hey baby, it’s cold outside!” Connie’s voice greeted through the door.

Eren laughed as he opened the door to let him and Sasha in. “Actually, it’s cold inside as well.”

“Eren! Shut the window right now!” Sasha demanded as she ducked into her jacket.

The pastel boy shrugged, “It’s not that bad,” Eren said, but shut the window anyways to prevent the cold December winds coming into his small dorm. “Take a seat wherever you like.”

Connie let Sasha take the small space on the bed while he hopped onto one of the packed boxes, seeing that it was filled with textbooks and would hold up his weight. “So, how’s everything looking so far?” Connie asked.

“Ugh, tiring. I never realized how much stuff I had crammed into this small room until I started packing,” Eren replied as he sat down on his desk chair.

“You’re going back to your parent’s house, yeah?” Sasha asked.

Eren nodded. “Yeah. I’m going back during the break to drop off most of my stuff. I just want to graduate already, why do I have to wait until a week after the break to do it?”

“At least you’re done. You’re so lucky that your program was only a year and a half long,” Connie groaned, still a bit bitter that he had another semester to go.

“It used to take two years to finish the program, but the school decided to condense it to 45 weeks a few years ago. I spent way too much time in the lab anyway.”

“Well, you made half of the student population look beautiful, people kept on asking me when you’re going to open up your own spa,” Sasha commented.

Eren chuckled. “It’s funny, I came here to learn how to be an esthetician, but now I’m using what I’ve learned to show others how to do it at home.”

“Still not the same without your magic touch, though.” Sasha tried to flop back on the bed but yelped when she hit something hard. “Ow! Why do you have shoes on your bed?” she asked as she picked up a pair of pink heels.

“Oops, sorry about that. I had them on when I was taking my Instagram pic,” Eren said as he motioned for the girl to give it to him, thanking himself for switching out of his tights to warm joggers earlier, with the school emblem on the side. Even though he knew his friends saw his Instagram pictures daily, doesn’t mean that they wanted to see it in real life as well.

“Dude, you gotta stop making me jealous. First, you’re graduating; two, you’re leaving us so you can do YouTube full-time; and three, you have fans all over the world sending you stuff,” Connie said with a groan.

Eren shrugged, “I guess, but it’s hard to keep up with the latest trends and finding inspiration to create new videos with. Editing also takes up quite a bit of my time too.”

Playing with his sweater sleeves, Eren continued, “I don’t know if it’ll last, but it’s something I really want to do now. I’ll be staying with my parents to see how it goes. If it turns out for the better, I might even move somewhere else. Since school’s done now, I can travel more without worrying about projects and assignments.

“And Connie, you’ll still see me around, I still have to come by here because I didn’t think this thoroughly and created a PO Box here. I initially thought that I’ll be staying in Toronto for life, but after giving it some thought about what options I have, I think it’ll be better if I just take a small break and relax at my parent’s until after graduation to figure out my shit.”

Eren sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. “I’ve already made an announcement to my fans about not sending me more stuff until I have my PO Box properly transferred, but sometimes, the fan packages take weeks until they arrive, especially the international ones, so I gotta wait it out a bit longer,” Eren finished off, taking a deep breath.

Connie and Sasha shared a look before Sasha gave Eren a reassuring smile “Well, it sounds like you thought this through, albeit a bit late, but you do have a plan which is good. And also, you can always stay over at my place whenever you’re in the city!” she offered.

Eren smiled back. “Thanks, Sasha. And speaking of moving, Connie, have you packed all of your stuff yet?”

“Pretty much. Just gotta move it to Sasha’s place, but we gotta do some cleaning, though,” he said with a laugh.

Eren watched as Connie and Sasha talked about some of the fun things they would do once they started living together and thought about how much their lives had changed.

Connie, Jean, and Eren were originally from Ottawa, a few hours away from Toronto. The three were close friends from a young age (lived in the same neighborhood) and decided to study in a bustling city together as they studied in their respective programs. While moving into their dorms in their first year, they met many new people and were very close to certain ones and created their own little group of close-knitted friends.

Sasha and Ymir were locals with their own apartment spaces within walking distance to the school. Historia came from a province over to study a program that wasn’t available in her own province, and Marco was an international student from Sweden.

Connie and Sasha hit it off during Frosh Week and have been inseparable ever since and were going to live together. Jean and Marco started off as roommates but their relationship gradually changed to what it was now (Eren does NOT want to know what goes on in their room). The boys were regulars at an on-campus coffee shop where they met Historia and Ymir. The two girls were co-workers at the time until Ymir asked Historia out with a written invitation to go out on a coffee cup. The rest of the group teased Ymir about her roundabout way of asking Historia out until Ymir threatened to make their drinks decaf.

It seemed that everyone around him was finding their ‘one’.

Eren tried to shake off his thoughts and ignoring the slight pang in his heart. Now was not the time to feel like this. He had dated several people while he was studying, but he personally didn’t feel a strong connection with them. Did it feel lonely? Yes, but Eren knew that there was no need to rush into a relationship and be patient until he met the right person.

On the plus side, he was good friends with his friends’ significant others and Eren was happy that his friends found their special someone that brought them joy.

“Make sure to hide your stash of snacks from Sash. Oh, that came out like a tongue twister,” Eren said with a little laugh.

“It was just the one-”

“Remember the time you looked underneath Connie’s mattress box spring to take out his squished gummy worms? Or the time you went through his DVD collection to find his hidden stash of gum? Or the time-”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Sasha huffed.

“Aw, it’s okay, sweet bean, you know that what’s mine is now yours,” Connie cooed and laughed when Sasha threw a pillow at him. He caught the pillow and threw it right back at her.

A set of knocks distracted the two from beginning their impromptu pillow fight. Grateful for the distraction, Eren walked over to open the door.

“Eren, Eren, Eren! You gotta check this out ma- wait, what are your pronouns?” Jean greeted but ended off with a blanked face.

“Nice of you to ask, horse face, and it’s he/him, so you’re safe,” Eren grinned as he returned Marco’s wave.

“Sorry about him, Eren. He really wanted to tell you the news,” Marco apologized.

“Nah, don’t sweat it. I’m used to it.”

“So, what’s going on, my man?” Connie asked.

“Oh, perfect, Connie’s here too. I have to show you two something,” Jean said as he went over to Eren’s laptop.

Looking over Jean’s shoulder, Eren looked at the screen with confusion. “Toronto Game Con?”

“Oh yeah, it happened last year but we didn’t go because we went back to Ottawa to visit our families, remember?” Connie piped in.

“But this year, it starts tomorrow, just before we have to go back home on Monday,” Jean said.

“So, are you going?” Eren asked, still not exactly sure why Jean is telling him this. He liked games, yes, but he wasn’t obsessed with it compared to Connie and Jean. Eren preferred to watch others play rather than playing himself.

“Hell yeah, especially since they announced a special guest a few minutes ago,” Jean said.

“Who is it?” Connie asked, slowly becoming excited.

Instead of answering, Jean scrolled down a bit to find what he was looking for.

**SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT**  
_We are excited to announce that famous YouTube gamer, HueManateesStrongest, will be joining us at Toronto Game Con this year. Please click here for more details._

“No way…” Eren trailed off.

Jean opened up a new tab and pulled up Twitter to find a specific tweet:

**Levi Ackerman** @HueManateesStrongest · 1h  
_I’m here and it’s cold. What the fuck do I do now? @to_g_c #tgc2015_

Eren’s eyes widened in surprise, no words were coming out. His heart stuttered a little bit and he blinked a few times, not saying anything.

“Holy shit. Guys, we all HAVE to go!” Connie exclaimed, visibly vibrating where he was now standing.

“Oh, that’s the YouTube guy that you constantly watch,” Sasha commented.

“Eren, you going?” Connie asked when Eren still wasn’t saying anything.

“Ha! Of course suicidal bastard is going. He needs to meet his online crush, am I right?” Jean said as he went to grab Eren’s shoulder.

“Get off me, Jean. What do you mean by “online crush”?” Eren demanded as he shoved Jean’s hand away from him, a blush slowly making a way on his face.

“Psh, ya can’t fool me, Yeager. I’ll be a shitty friend if I don’t give you the opportunity to see the man you’ve been pining for,” Jean snickered.

“What do you mean by that? I just watch his videos, that’s all,” Eren defended as his ears were turning red.

“No, Eren, Jean-bo does have a point. I bet if I check out your YouTube history right now, it’ll just be all of his videos,” Connie said.

Eren crossed his arms and huffed. “I just respect him as a fellow YouTuber! So what? I get inspired by him, that’s all.”

“Really? Is that all there is to it? So it’s not just his good looks?” Jean asked, getting up close to Eren’s face.

“Jean,” Eren growled out as a warning.

“Or his seductive voice?” Marco commented.

“Marco!” Eren looked at Freckled Jesus scandalously.

“Or his laugh?” Sasha asked, giggling as she saw her friend trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Or when he shows his rare smiles when he’s with his daughter?” Connie also chimed in.

“Okay, all of you get out. Move, scat!” Eren said as he physically started pushing his so-called friends out the door.

“Alright, alright. We surrender for now. But I’ll message you more details of the event later!” Jean said as Eren slammed the door.

Eren covered his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down.

“AND REMEMBER, HE’S SINGLE!” Jean yelled through the door.

“DAMN IT HORSE FACE, I WILL RUN YOU OVER!” Eren yelled back.

Once he heard their footsteps fade, Eren went back to his desk and sat down with a huff.

_‘Stupid Jean and stupid friends,’_ Eren thought.

Calming himself down, he tried to not think of what they said too much, but he couldn’t help it.

Okay, so Eren respected him, that was for certain. The man appeared on YouTube about two years ago and now has five million subscribers and at this rate, six million in a few weeks, which was practically unheard of in the YouTube community. How Eren never heard of him until a few weeks ago was a complete mystery.

Alright, so besides respect and admiration, was there something else about Levi that Eren was drawn to?

What did his friends say again? Oh right, he has good looks, a great voice, a beautiful laugh, and turns into a mush when he was with his daughter. Yes, yes, yes, and yes, Eren had to agree with his friends on those points. Those were all qualities that Eren couldn’t deny being attracted to.

He sighed as he opened YouTube and his gaze went to the history link. Thinking back to what Connie said, Eren moved his cursor to click on it, and lo and behold, his watch history was filled with various HueManateesStrongest videos. Feeling the heat rise up in his face, Eren looked over to his mirror

To his surprise, his face was completely red. He looked back at the screen, back to the mirror, and back at the screen again. He clicked on one of the videos and his eyes naturally gravitated to the top left where he could see Levi clearly. Eren felt his heart beating faster as the video played and Levi’s sultry voice enveloped his mind.

Eren gasped in realization.

Jean was right.

Well, fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again, [Amy](http://elizabethdarcy.tumblr.com/), for being my beta! And btw, her comments make me laugh as I'm editing.


	15. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Toronto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m seriously getting spoiled because there’s more fanart!
> 
> ♥ Remember Eren’s OOTD? Yeah, major-rbf [did the thing](http://major-rbf.tumblr.com/post/125553006602/for-the-fanfic-click-on-my-heart-its-a-lovely)!  
> ♥ Check out ere-senpai‘s [fanboy!Eren](http://ere-senpai.tumblr.com/post/125561496689/hahaha-this-is-my-lame-drawing-of-what-i-think)!  
> ♥ awkwardlymehere used their PHONE to draw [pastel!Eren](http://awkwardlymehere.tumblr.com/post/125565066320/its-bad-i-know-i-tried-drawing-on-my-phone-and)!  
> ♥ And you better get ready to check out [gamer!Levi](http://captainoftherirenship.tumblr.com/post/125570073271/i-did-it-i-finally-did-it-hides-under-my-rock) drawn by captainoftherirenship! (I’m still laughing about Erwin the pigeon!)  
> ♥ See legendarygoatwarrior’s [QueenPastelEren](http://legendarygoatwarrior.tumblr.com/post/125603067909/cocoachoux-this-is-the-eren-i-drew-for-you-im), complete with a kissable nose!  
> ♥ Didn’t think a wink would be illegal, but it should be, especially datshortskirt-longjacket‘s [Eren](http://datshortskirt-longjacket.tumblr.com/post/125647474804/drew-this-as-i-was-inspired-by-cocoachoux-and-her)!  
> ♥ My very own sister decided to draw [Eren](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/125733622614/my-sister-drew-her-interpretation-of-eren-d) as well!  
> ♥ [Eren is a model](http://avengeonyourmom.tumblr.com/post/125759788281/here-is-my-fanart-of-our-queen-eren-cocoachoux-is), don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Thank you, avengeonyourmom!

“Fuck! It’s so cold!” was the first thing Levi said as he walked out of the airport. Some of the people around him gave him a glare until they saw what he was wearing.

Levi was trying to tuck his face into his leather jacket as an attempt to save himself from the frigid wind blowing at his face. He was starting to regret wearing his ripped jeans and was already making plans to go to the nearest mall as soon as possible. At least his combat boots helped keep his feet warm, though. Levi was certain that they were not waterproof as he eyed the snow that was building up right next to his feet. He cursed to himself. He wasn’t new to snow, as there was plenty of it in France, but he clearly underestimated how cold it would be.

Beside him, Mikasa shrugged. “You’re the one who told me to bring warm clothes.” Unlike Levi, she wore several layers underneath her jacket, and leggings underneath her pants. But unfortunately, her sneakers didn’t protect her little feet from the snow she was currently stepping on. Any longer and her feet will get soaked.

Needless to say, the Ackermans were woefully underdressed for Canadian weather.

“Uh, Mr. Ackerman? Your ride is this way sir,” a convention volunteer said, redirecting their focus from the weather to why they were there in the first place. Levi raised an eyebrow at her as she was trying her very best not to look him in the eye. He reached for Mikasa's hand, relishing in the little body heat they shared while pushing the trolley with their luggage in the other, as they followed the convention volunteer to the car.

The ride to the hotel was quiet, thankfully. The teenager drove through the streets of Toronto with ease and didn’t even try to initiate a conversation with Levi, who decided to sit in the back with his daughter. Mikasa was happily looking out the window, watching the snowflakes that drifted onto the car window before melting on contact.

“Is this your first time seeing snow, Mikasa?” Levi asked in a low voice.

“Mhm. I know that Father used to go skiing with Mom a lot before I was born. They told me that they would take me to the mountains when I was old enough,” Mikasa said in an equally low voice, but it wavered off a bit in the end.

Noticing her change in mood, Levi reached over and pinched her nose.

“Hey!” she said indignantly, her voice sounding pinched since it was blocked.

Letting her nose go, he gently flicked her forehead. “What’s with that face? We’re here now, and once this shit is done and over with, we’ll have plenty of time to play in the snow.”

Successfully distracted, she beamed at him. “Really?”

Levi nodded, “We’re going to be up here until the second week of the New Year. I don’t know much about skiing, but I can definitely show you how to skate.”

Mikasa looked elated by the suggestion. She turned her attention back to the view outside her window and hummed.

Levi let out a deep breath and looked at the window as well. He twitched a bit when he saw the pile of snow. Looking down at his and Mikasa’s attire, he knew that they would have to go shopping ASAP if they were going to be out there for a long duration of time.

“We’re almost there, sir,” the teenager announced.

Levi nodded as he directed his attention to the front and his eyes widened.

“Holy shit. Mikasa, look up front.”

Mikasa turned her head to the front window and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ah, the CN Tower. The convention is located right under it,” the teenager explained.

Mikasa started jumping on her seat and looked at Levi. Her eyes were practically begging for Levi to take her there. The man rolled his eyes but gave her a small smile as he ruffled her hair. “Soon, alright?”

Pleased with Levi’s answer, she took out her phone and started taking pictures to send to Armin and Annie. Noticing that Levi had his attention on his own phone from the corner of her eye, Mikasa went on Instagram to see where Eren was.

Seeing that there were no new posted pictures aside from Eren’s OOTD (which she assumed Levi saw already based on his behavior on the plane), she sighed and decided to rest her eyes for a bit.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day, after all.

* * *

“Eren, Eren, you there, my lovely dove from above?” Connie asked as he knocked on the brunet’s door.

“Hold on one second!” a voice from within cried with mirth. Connie smiled to himself, even after all these years, he could still make anyone laugh from his greetings.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Connie took a step back as Eren opened the door. The shorter boy blinked as he took in what Eren was wearing.

Eren was wearing an off-white peacoat with black buttons and black lace at the bottom, pink leggings, and black knee high boots. He had his white-framed glasses on along with a bright red scarf covering half his face. _‘Hm’,_ Connie thought, _‘He looks a bit different than usual.’_ It wasn’t the outfit that was different; it was something else, like Eren’s demeanor.

Noticing Connie’s confusion, Eren clarified, “It’s they/them today.”

Connie’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Ah, okay, it’s pretty rare that you use those pronouns.”

Eren shrugged, “Can’t help it. I just woke and I felt like this.” Despite what they said, they were happy that their friend noticed.

Connie nodded in understanding. “Alright then. Whenever you’re ready, your Majesty, your very own chariot awaits.” Connie actually bowed in front of Eren and made a dramatic wave with his hand.

Laughing at their friend’s antics, Eren locked the door and headed out the dorms with Connie in tow. Shivering when the icy winds hit their face, Eren snuggled into their scarf.

“So, you ready to meet your future lover?” Connie teased.

“Connie,” Eren growled out as they put on their light blue gloves as the two approached the car.

“What? Can’t a guy try to hook up his good friend with someone they’re crushing on?” Connie asked as he hopped into the passenger seat.

Eren sighed as they started up the car, warming up their hands and steering wheel as the car runs. “I don’t think he even really knows who I am. He might’ve watched a video or two of mine for his daughter at best.” The two finally got out of the parking lot and were headed towards the convention center where they were going to meet up with the others.

“Hey now, that’s not the Eren I know. The Eren I know is one determined and strong-headed fucker that will fight tooth and nail to get what’s theirs,” Connie said.

Eren smiled a bit as they waited for the light to turn green. “I’ll have to see him in the flesh to see where I stand first.”

Connie snorted, “Please, all you gotta do is bat your eyelashes and every guy in every direction will be at your feet, waiting for your orders.”

Eren smirked, “Doesn’t work for you guys, though.”

“We’ve grown immune to it after so many years. Though Marco still doesn’t seem to get the hang of it, and even Ymir sometimes wavers when you do that. Your eyes are lethal and you should use it to your advantage.”

Eren couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Connie. Am I seriously going to take seduction advice from you of all people?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that this is 100% pure sexy. The manliest of all men that you’ll ever see,” Connie cried out.

“Sure thing, honey, whatever you say,” Eren said as they parked in an empty spot. “Oh man, I thought we would be circling around this area forever.”

“Ugh, I keep on forgetting how horrible traffic is around here,” Connie commented.

Getting out of the car and locking it, the two walked towards the convention area.

“So, where’s everyone else?” Eren asked.

“Jean and Marco said that they would be there about an hour before us to get passes, Sasha is on her way, so are Historia and Ymir,” Connie answered.

Eren nodded absentmindedly as the two walked around a bit. They couldn’t get in without passes, so they will have to wait around until either Jean or Marco notified them when they got them. The two chatted away until Connie’s ringtone interrupted their conversation.

“Oh, sorry, my mom’s calling. Hello, Mom?” Connie excused himself.

“Hi, Mrs. Springer!” Eren yelled, loud enough for them to hear the older lady’s reply through the cellphone.

“Geez, Ma, you don’t have to be so loud,” Connie muttered as he turned his back to Eren.

Eren watched in amusement as they watched Connie’s facial expression as he talked with his mom. Getting a little bored, Eren looked around and spotted something. Holding back a squeal, Eren glanced back to see Connie thoroughly distracted with his conversation and decided to move on ahead.

They would let Connie know about this later.

* * *

“Remember to stay close, Mikasa.”

Mikasa didn’t even bother to hide her eye roll. “Dad, you told me this about a million times. Stay close, don’t lose your badge, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t touch anything or anyone because of germs, yadda, yadda, yadda,” she said in a low voice, trying to imitate Levi. “I’m ten, remember? I know what I’m doing.”

Levi absentmindedly toyed with the badge that was around his neck. A volunteer came by their hotel room earlier to deliver the badges instead of them getting lost around the convention to find where they were supposed to go. Even though the hotel was close to the convention center, it still took 15 minutes to walk there, and Levi was cursing a storm as he trudged through the slush. “I know, but this is the first time you’re attending one of these conventions, and it’s also the first time you’re out of the country, so it can’t be helped that I’m a bit more worried than usual.”

“We have this thing called a cellphone which you and I both have. I’ll be fine, Dad. And I really want to see people’s faces when they realize that you’re shorter than them,” Mikasa giggled, even when Levi ruffled her hair with his leather gloves.

“Oh, har, har, very funny, Mikasa,” Levi grumbled, shivering when another blast of cold air was blown at his face. Unfortunately for them, when they got to the hotel the day before, they were too tired from the plane ride to do anything. However, once they had regained their energy, the mall had already closed for the day, so the Ackermans were currently wearing as many layers as they could possibly walk in if they had to go outside, which was what they were presently doing.

Mikasa followed behind Levi and observed everything around her. From the coffee shops decorated with fake snow and frost in the windows to the Christmas lights that were strung around the evergreen trees, and to the little army of snowmen someone had made. She was really grateful that everyone back home pitched in for the plane tickets for her to go as well, and she was really excited to see what else the city has to offer.

Lost in her train of thought, she didn’t notice that Levi was walking far up ahead of her. As she was about to run to catch up with him, she saw something from the corner of her eye.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she changed directions and walked away from where her dad was headed. As she walked on her own, she realized she should let him know where she was, but then shrugged.

Oh well, he has her number if he needed her.

* * *

“Oh, right, once this shit is done and over with, what do you want for dinner?” Levi asked.

Hearing no reply, he turned around to ask what was wrong, to see that there was no one behind him. Turning around a few times, he determined that Mikasa was nowhere to be seen.

Panic started to engulf him until he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Once he was thinking more clearly, he took out his cellphone and removed one of his gloves so he could properly use the device.

He was getting more and more anxious as he kept calling, and Mikasa hadn't picked up yet. After the second call, she picked up on the third ring.

“Hi,” she greeted.

“Mikasa, where are you?” Levi asked, trying to not raise his voice.

“Oh, I saw this huge line-up and wondered what was going on. Apparently people are getting this thing called a donair? It smelled good so I was thinking of getting some. We didn’t really have breakfast this morning so I was thinking of having some for brunch,” she reasoned.

Levi sighed, “Mikasa, just stay where you are, I’ll come get you.”

“Okay,” was the last thing she said before she hung up.

Levi stared at his phone incredulously before putting it away and putting his gloves back on. “Unbelievable. This girl is going to be the death of me,” he muttered to himself.

He turned back to where he came from, but as he took a few steps, he heard someone call for him.

“HueManateesStrongest?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Amy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/armsoftheocean) for the edits!
> 
> Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to run off now! /FLEES


	16. Selfie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good thing you didn’t listen to Levi, Mikasa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to check out the end of the chapter for fanart! (Because if you don't, you might spoil this chapter ;P)
> 
> Thank you for editing [Amy](http://elizabethdarcy.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Also, earlier-than-usual update since I have to go to IKEA and have no idea if I would be back to post the new chapter in time. You can thank my mom for this. :P

Levi scrunched his eyebrows, thinking about why that voice was familiar. Turning cautiously, he was met with… nothing?

“Ahem,” a voice coughed out.

Levi looked down to see a blonde girl with big blue eyes staring at him. Blinking, Levi turned his body to give her his full attention. “Can I help you?” Even though he knew that he was being rude, he couldn’t help but stare at her, wondering why she looked so familiar.

“Ah, sorry,” she said. Levi wanted to chuckle; seemed as though the stereotypes about Canadians were true. “Are you HueManateesStrongest?”

He looked at her as he nodded. “Yes, I am. And you look familiar, have we met before?” Levi tried his best not to narrow his eyes as he studied her.

The girl seemed to perk up a bit. “Oh, maybe you might have seen one of my videos? I have a YouTube channel as well, KristaLenz, though, I mostly do beauty tutorial videos.”

Levi’s eyes widened. Now he remembered; she was the one who appeared in Eren’s videos from time to time.

The man felt his heart beat a little faster, knowing that it was possible that Eren was near. And if not, he knew one of Eren’s friends.

Realizing he didn’t respond for some time, he coughed a bit, “Yes, I remember now. I have watched a few of your videos before.” It wasn’t a complete lie since Levi was curious about who Eren’s friends were. All that Levi knew about the girl is that her real name is Historia, has an overprotective girlfriend that frequently appears in her videos, and that Eren was the reason why she started her own channel.

Historia’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve watched your videos too. Well, recently anyways. Are you on your way to the convention?”

Levi’s expression dropped. “I was, but my daughter wandered off somewhere. I need to find her.”

Historia’s bright face dropped to one of concern. “That’s not good. But I know this area very well, so I can help. Did she tell you where she was?” Historia questioned.

“She said something about a ‘donair’, or something. Not sure if that’s enough description to find her.”

Historia smiled, “I know exactly where she is. Do you mind if I take a second to call my friends to let them know where I’ll be?”

“Sure, go for it,” Levi said, letting out a sigh of relief. He was glad she stopped him. She looks like a kind person, and Levi now knew where to find Mikasa without getting lost.

“Mhm, alright. I’ll see you soon, bye babe,” Levi heard her say as she put away her phone.

“Okay, let’s go find your daughter.”

* * *

Mikasa placed her phone back into her jacket pocket after her phone conversation with her dad. She resisted the urge to blow a raspberry. _‘He can be such a worry wart,’_ Mikasa thought.

Knowing that she was going to be in trouble, Mikasa decided to step away from the line to go sit on a bench nearby. She brushed off some of the snow on the bench and sat on it, shivering a bit from the cold.

The young Ackerman was in the middle of sending Armin and Annie a picture of the CN Tower when she got hit by a snowball.

“Hey!” she yelled, standing up to remove the snow that was traveling down from her neck to under her jacket. Pocketing her phone again, she wiped off the melting snow and glared at the group of kids away from her.

The kids were around her age, maybe a bit younger. They were making faces, yelling back at her to play with them. Shaking her head, she yelled back, “No thank you!”

Apparently, that wasn’t the correct answer, as a few of them crouched down to form more snowballs. Mikasa didn’t have enough time to defend herself as more snowballs were thrown at her, so she did the best she could and hid behind the bench. “Please, stop it!”

“No! Play with us!” they shouted back as more snowballs were pelted towards her.

Mikasa covered her ears with her bare hands and shut her eyes, trying to block the sounds of the snowballs hitting the wooden bench, hoping that her dad would come soon.

“Hey!” a voice exclaimed.

Mikasa opened her eyes and lifted her head just in time to see someone jump over her and onto the bench behind her. She quickly stood up and stared as the figure put their hands on their hips as the snowballs ceased fire.

“What do you kids think you’re doing? There could be ice in those snowballs and someone could have been seriously injured!” the figure yelled at the group of kids.

Seeing an adult interrupting their one-sided snowball fight, the kids ran off, yelling “Sorry!” without looking back.

The figure huffed before hopping off the bench. Mikasa gasped as she saw her savior turned towards her.

“Are you okay?” familiar mismatched eyes looked at her with concern.

“You’re Eren!” Mikasa shouted, completely ignoring Eren’s initial question.

Eren tilted their head before recognition lit up their face. “And you’re Mikasa! You’re HueManateesStrongest’s daughter, right?”

Mikasa beamed and nodded. She went around the bench and stared up at her idol.

Eren was prettier in real life than from the screen. Mikasa tried to hold in her squeal, but it was proving to be very difficult because all she wanted to do was hug Eren forever. Eren looked down at her with a smile and bent down a bit. “It’s nice to meet you, Mikasa,” they said as they offered their hand.

Mikasa reached out and shook hands with Eren. “It’s nice to meet you too, Eren! I’m a big fan of yours. And-oh, what are your pronouns today?” she asked, wanting to make sure to leave a good impression with Eren.

And it worked because Eren’s eyes lit up. “Ah, thank you for asking. It’s they/them. How about you?”

“Oh, uh, she/her is fine,” Mikasa answered, not noticing that she still hadn’t let go of Eren’s hand.

Eren nodded but their eyebrows scrunched up a bit before their eyes looked down at their hands. “Mikasa, do you have any gloves? Your hand is really cold,” Eren commented.

“Oh,” she said, flexing her fingers a bit. She never really noticed how cold her hand was. “No, I flew in with my dad yesterday and we didn’t get the chance to go to the mall to get cl- _ACHOO!_ ” Mikasa explained, but not quite finishing as she sneezed. She resisted the urge to wipe her nose with her hand (Levi would be murderous if he found out) and took out a tissue to wipe her nose before putting it back away in her pants pocket.

“Here,” Eren said as they removed the red scarf they were wearing and wrapped it around the girl in front of them.

Any protests that were about to come out of Mikasa were immediately shot down when warmth covered her face. She didn't even realize how cold she had been until she began to snuggle into the warm scarf. Breathing in, she felt warmer inside as well. “Thank you so much, Eren!”

Eren smiled at her and Mikasa really wanted to take a picture. “Anytime. So, where’s your dad?” Eren asked as they grabbed both of Mikasa’s hands and rubbed them together vigorously, trying to regain some body heat.

“Dad said that h-”

“Mikasa!” was what Mikasa heard before she was engulfed in a hug. “Young lady, you better be glad that I’m too relieved to be mad at you,” Levi said as he continued to hug her.

“Dad, let go! You’re embarrassing me!” Mikasa exclaimed, but her cries were muffled since Levi held a tight grip on her.

“Good. Maybe this will teach you to not wander away from me. Seriously, what were you thinking? Please don’t do that again, okay?” Levi asked.

Even though Levi didn’t explicitly say it, Mikasa noted that his voice was laced with worry and she felt guilty for leaving him like that. “I’m sorry, Dad. I wasn’t thinking properly. I won’t do it again.”

Levi sighed, “You’re allowed to walk around, but, let me know where you’ll be so I don’t destroy the city to find you.”

Mikasa’s giggles were accompanied by another set of giggles behind him. Gently putting his daughter down, he turned so he could thank the person who took care of her while he was looking for her.

But Levi didn’t expect his heart to beat faster when his eyes met with green and gold ones.

“Hi, I’m Eren. You’re HueManateesStrongest, right?” Eren asked after their fit of giggles.

Levi felt his breath leave his lungs when it finally registered that it was the pastel queen in front of him. Months of looking at Eren’s pretty face, beautiful smile, and tutorial videos paled in comparison to the real thing.

Eren’s skin contrasted nicely against the off-white coat they were wearing. Their face held up their usual white-framed glasses, green and gold eyes hiding behind them. Levi didn’t even need to look closer as the light hit Eren’s eyes just right for Levi to see that the green was actually blueish-green, a color any artist would kill to have on their palette. And the gold was actually deeper in color, like honey or amber. Levi bit his lips as he saw that Eren’s cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, and had windswept hair from the gusts of air.

Levi would happily stare at Eren in their glory all day.

His body said otherwise, though.

_“Gck!”_ Levi started coughing and spluttering.

Oh fucking god. He actually stopped breathing while he was staring at Eren. He didn’t even need to look beside him to see Mikasa’s unimpressed face.

_‘Sorry, Mikasa. Your dad is pretty lame,’_ Levi thought.

Eren, however, looked concerned. “Are you alright? Are you cold as well?” they asked as they moved closer to Levi.

“Ah, no, no,” Levi coughed. “I-I’m alright, thank you for asking.” _‘Wow, smooth as butter,’_ Levi berated himself.

Eren still looked concerned, and Levi shouldn’t have felt this happy for having Eren’s attention on him, but he was anyways. “If you say so,” Eren said skeptically. Their gaze drifted off to an approaching figure that was rushing towards them, eyes widening the moment they figured out who it was.

“Mr. Levi, did you find her yet?” Historia asked as she slowed down to a jog as she reached them.

“Ah, yes I did, Historia. Thank you for your help,” Levi said, though he still had his eyes on Eren.

“Historia?” Eren asked.

“Eren? What are you doing here? I thought you were with the others,” Historia asked in surprise.

“Oh,” Eren said sheepishly. “Well, I was with Connie, and then he got a call from his mom. Then I looked around and saw that the shack was selling Halifax donairs, and I couldn’t resist. Then I found Mikasa here and Mr. Levi found her, and then you showed up,” Eren explained.

“Please, just call me Levi, both of you,” Levi requested.

Historia nodded, “Okay. And did you end up getting your donair, Eren?”

“No, I haven’t. Do you want one?” Eren asked her and then turned his attention to the two Ackermans. “Did you two get the chance to try a Halifax donair? They’re amazing.”

Mikasa shook her head. “I’ve never had a donair before. It smelled really good so I followed it and stood in line before Dad called.”

“Then you two are missing out. C’mon, we’re getting some unless you need to go now?”

Levi shook his head. “No, we can spare a few minutes,” he said. He was certain that he would be late but it would be worth it if he could spend a bit more time with Eren.

“Thanks for the offer, Eren, but I need to find the others. I’ll see you soon, okay? And it was nice meeting you, Mr-ah, Levi and Mikasa, right? We hope to see you at the convention,” Historia waved to them as she went towards the convention building.

“See you later, Historia! Now, let’s go before the line gets any longer,” Eren suggested as they walked towards the shack.

Levi held Mikasa’s hand as they followed Eren. “Mikasa, where did you get that scarf?” he asked. He was a bit confused considering Mikasa didn’t own a scarf like that, nor did she have the time to go purchase one since the last few minutes he saw her.

“It’s Eren’s!” she exclaimed in a happy voice.

“Mikasa, you should give it back,” Levi said. He wanted to kick himself for feeling jealous of his daughter of all people to have something personal of Eren’s.

“Ah, she was getting a bit cold,” Eren said as they reached the line.

“I’m sorry. We’ll return the scarf when we get a new one,” Levi apologized to them. He felt embarrassed that he wasn’t able to take care of his child better.

Eren just shook their head. “It’s fine. I have a higher than normal body temperature anyways, and I also have plenty of scarves back in my dorm,” they reassured.

Levi sighed as the three moved slowly through the lineup. He tried his best to not squeeze Mikasa’s hand tighter since all he wanted to do was hold Eren and hug them.

Mikasa looked up to her dad as he stared at the back of Eren’s head. She tried not to snort because she could tell that he wanted to start a conversation with the pastel angel, but was too shy.

Rolling her eyes, she decided to come to her dad’s rescue. “Hey, Eren? Do you mind if I take a selfie with you?”

Eren turned and blinked in surprise before smiling. “Sure, I would love to,” they said as they moved to Mikasa’s other side as she pulled out her cellphone.

“Dad, can you please lift me up?” Mikasa asked as she got the camera ready.

Levi wordlessly picked her up and she gestured for Eren to come closer. Levi almost dropped Mikasa when he felt Eren's body heat press closer to him, as he moved in to be in the picture view.

“Smile!” Mikasa said as she pressed the camera button on her cellphone screen.

There was a little sound and Mikasa quickly opened the photo she just took.

Mikasa was in the middle, pressed between Eren and Levi. Eren had a big smile on their face, perfect white teeth and all. Mikasa was smiling too, but it was partially covered by the red scarf, while Levi looked impassive. But, knowing her dad for a long time now, she could see the small smile forming. All of their faces were tinged with pink from the cold, and there was snow in the background.

“It’s perfect,” Mikasa said.

“It really is,” Eren agreed. “Do you mind sending it to me or tweeting it? Oh wait, do you have Twitter?” they asked.

Mikasa nodded as she was put back down. She and Eren exchanged account names and Eren quickly tweeted the picture to their followers.

Levi’s phone buzzed and he took it out to see that Mikasa also sent him the picture. Opening it, he turned away to hide the smile on his face. Seeing that Eren and Mikasa were engaged in a conversation about flowers, Levi quickly set the photo as his wallpaper before putting it away.

Yeah, perfect indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams into the sky* I have the most talented readers! I hope you're ready for some fanart of this chapter! ;D
> 
> ♥ kashix (also known as my sister) drew the most [fluff-haired](http://kashix.tumblr.com/post/125800014069/comh-ch-16-fanart-all-i-know-is-that-eren-had-a) I’ve ever seen!  
> ♥ The wonderful kionem decided to go shoujo on me, and did [the scene](http://kionem.tumblr.com/post/125873530770/hi-im-eren-and-then-my-and-levis-heart)!  
> ♥ Be ready to check out the [perfect family picture](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/125801360966/fanart-for-the-most-recent-chapter-of-comh-by) done by candied-cravat!  
> ♥ sayitlikeyouregoingtocomeback drew a really [snuggly-lookin' Eren](http://sayitlikeyouregoingtocomeback.tumblr.com/post/125828419476/he-turned-back-to-where-he-came-from-but-as-he)!  
> ♥ And Eren needs to cover [his/her/their shoulders](http://jaybear17.tumblr.com/post/125878183389) because jaybear17 decided to draw us a heart attack!  
> ♥ I hope you’re ready to kiss and fall in love with ladycarathis‘s [beautiful Eren](http://ladycarathis.tumblr.com/post/125950862228/okay-so-i-know-ive-been-taking-my-time-and-god)!  
> ♥ It’s time for some [gamer/punk!Levi cosplay](http://datshortskirt-longjacket.tumblr.com/post/125904531284/this-was-my-cosplay-of-punk-levi-from-cocoachoux) done by the amazing datshortskirt-longjacket!


	17. Autograph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An almost date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this fic reached 800 Kudos! ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟ○)ﾂ三ヾ(●ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ Thank you all so so much for your continued support and love! 
> 
> I don’t mean to brag, but I have the best readers ever! ;D Check out the latest artwork!
> 
> ♥ Eren totally looks like a [makeup model](http://resina7.tumblr.com/post/126102924308/cocoachoux-a-fanart-of-pastel-eren-for-my-favorite) thanks to resina7!  
> ♥ eternally-pre-occupied drew the amazing scene of when [Mikasa and Eren meet](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/126153642639/more-fan-art-for-the-lovely-miss-cocoachoux-and)!  
> ♥ My mind still can’t believe that the amazing ackergay blessed this fic with the beautiful [KingPastelEren](http://catos.co.vu/post/126195359359)!  
> ♥ [Adorable Eren WIP](http://doodlez-316.tumblr.com/post/126203344060/cocoachoux-for-your-beautiful-fanfic-w-im)? And done by doodlez-316? Hell yeah!  
> ♥ This [cute family moment](http://captainoftherirenship.tumblr.com/post/126234682651/i-did-another-one-for-cocoachoux-and-her-fic-click) killed me (I’m actually a ghost now) and captainoftherirenship is guilty for that!  
> ♥ I shouldn’t feel happy knowing that r5danisnotonfireauslly3‘s precious school notebooks are being used to draw [Eren and Levi](http://r5danisnotonfireauslly3.tumblr.com/post/126267256407/cocoachoux-oops-i-drew-eren-and-levi), but I am! ;D

Eren didn’t know what they did to gain Lady Luck’s favor, but they were not complaining, not at all.

They still couldn’t believe that they were sitting with the Corporal, HueManateesStrongest – or Levi, as he told Eren to call him – and the Knight, looking more adorable in real life than on screen. Eren almost let out a bark of laughter when they saw Mikasa taking a picture of the food with her phone. _‘Probably snapchatting it,’_ Eren thought.

The three were sitting at a picnic table under an umbrella near the shack to eat their donairs (which Levi paid for, even though Eren said that they would treat the family). From where Eren was sitting, it gave them the chance to look at the man without looking out-of-place.

Boy, the Corporal was even more handsome than Eren had originally thought.

It was hard to believe the man was from L.A. since he had very fair skin. His black hair contrasted nicely, but Eren wondered if his head was cold since he wasn’t wearing a hat to cover his side shave and undercut (though Eren would very much like to run their fingers through Levi’s hair). And contrary to what Eren originally assumed, the man’s ears didn’t have many piercings; just the standard lobe, upper lobe, helix, and an industrial for both ears.

Levi raised his pierced eyebrows and Eren didn't think that they could speak properly when silver eyes met their own mismatched ones “Are you alright?” Levi asked.

Realizing that they had been caught staring, Eren shook their head. They looked back to the pair of silver eyes but couldn’t shake the blush off their face before replying, “Ah, I’m fine. Just spaced out I guess.”

Levi slowly nodded before his eyes traveled down to the food on the table. “So, how are you supposed to eat this? With forks and knives?” he asked. Levi was trying to start a conversation but was actually curious on how to eat this ‘donair’ thing without creating a mess.

“Well, donairs are considered street food, and you can eat it with your hands, but you can use forks and knives if you want to,” Eren replied. “Here, if you hold it like this, you can eat the donair without half of the filling spilling everywhere.”

Eren demonstrated by folding the aluminum foil around the thin pita as the two Ackermans watched them. Eren carefully lifted the donair to their mouth as they took a bite out of it.

Fighting back a smile when he saw Eren’s face melt as they bit into their donair, Levi turned his attention back to his own food and mimicked what Eren did. The donair was heavier than Levi anticipated, but his growling stomach appreciated it. Licking his lips, he finally bit into it.

His eyes widened as he was assaulted by different flavors. It was spicy, savory, and sweet, and damn delicious. He heard Mikasa let out a pleased hum next to him, knowing that the feeling was mutual.

Eren smiled as they saw the two eat their donairs. “Pretty good, eh? Just try to eat as quickly as possible since the liquid will soak through the pita and create a mess of things.” Heeding their own advice, Eren continued eating their own donair.

“This is really good, Eren! And we should eat more of these when we get back home, Dad,” Right after Mikasa said that, she loosened her grip on her food and the filling started to spill.

“Mikasa, please be more careful,” Levi gently chided when he saw her pout. He grabbed some napkins as he tried to clean up the mess. Thankfully, Mikasa adjusted the red scarf earlier and it didn’t get ruined from the donair.

Eren bit their lips, trying not to smile as they saw Levi trying to wipe Mikasa’s mouth but she was moving her face away from him. “Dad, stop! You’re embarrassing me again!” she said, but it was a bit muffled since Levi managed to hold her still as he wiped her face clean.

“And you were messy,” Levi replied back after he finished cleaning. He looked up when he heard laughter and saw Eren covering their mouth with their hand and eyes crinkled with laughter.

“Ah, sorry. It’s just that you two are really adorable,” Eren commented with a slight blush on their cheeks.

Levi internally cursed as he looked down, trying to will down his own blush away. Why does Eren have to be so cute?

Not noticing her dad’s dilemma, Mikasa scrunched up her nose. “I’m not adorable, I am a fierce knight!” she proclaimed.

“My apologies then,” Eren said. “Do you have someone to protect?” they asked in a conversational tone.

“My friends and family,” she replied with no hesitation. “And because you’re the Queen, it is my duty to protect you, too!”

Eren couldn’t help but smile, “Well then, I guess I’m in good hands now.”

Mikasa nodded seriously, “I swear that I’ll protect you the best I can.”

Eren raised an eyebrow at her determined face. Feeling flattered, they laughed a bit before extending one of their arms towards the girl across from him and held out their pinky. “Pinky swear?”

The girl smiled and reached out to loop her pinky with theirs. “Pinky swear,” she repeated. The two shook once before letting go.

Levi doesn’t know how much longer he could last with all this cuteness before he ended up in the nearest hospital.

“So, Levi,” Eren started. And damn it, his heartbeat shouldn’t speed up just by Eren said his name of all things. “What will you be doing at the convention? Are you hosting a panel, or doing a demonstration of some sort?”

Levi swallowed the last bite of his donair before replying. “Well, the staff notified me yesterday that I would be doing a live gameplay in front of an audience. Of what games, I’m not exactly sure of, but I think the audience will pick it. I kind of feel bad for the organizers, though. Apparently, I was a last-minute addition to the program and they needed to accommodate a lot of things for me.”

“But I’m sure people will love whatever it is that you do. I’m going to the convention with my friends and we’ll definitely go to your live gameplay.”

“Do you watch my stuff?” Levi asked. Even though he knew Eren watched his videos and recognized him, he wasn’t sure if they only watched the videos for inspiration purposes only.

Eren looked down and Levi really wanted their eyes back on him. He was willing to risk going to the ER if he gets to see Eren’s eyes light up with emotion again as they talked. “I do. I’ve watched all your videos, and even subscribed to you,” they shyly said as they lifted their head to look Levi straight in the eyes.

Scratch what he said earlier, the pastel beauty was going to be the death of him.

“My dad watches your videos too,” Mikasa said, interrupting Levi’s thoughts.

“Really?” Eren asked in a hopeful voice.

Mikasa rapidly nodded, “Yeah. He can cook better now thanks to you.” The younger Ackerman laughed when Levi not-so-discreetly nudged her. “What? It’s true, Dad. You should thank Eren for their wonderful videos.”

Levi did what Eren did earlier and looked down before looking back up and said a quick thanks before looking down again.

Levi was a few seconds away from searching ‘how to stop blushing’ on his cellphone, but then it started ringing.

The man excused himself from the conversation and took out his phone. Scrunching his eyebrows at the unknown number, Levi decided to answer it anyway. “Hello, this is Levi speaking.”

“Mr. Ackerman, where are you?!” a desperate voice asked.

Levi was confused, “Who’s this?”

“I’m one of the organizers of Toronto Game Con! Mr. Ackerman, you’re late for rehearsal!”

Levi pulled his phone away from his ear to check the time. Yup, he was late by half an hour.

“Mr. Ackerman, are you there?”

“Ah, yes. Sorry about that. I’ll be there as soon as possible,” Levi said as he hung up.

He looked back to where Mikasa and Eren were still talking to each other. Levi wanted to take a picture of Mikasa. She looked awestruck as she talked with Eren, her eyes were bright, and she listened to every word Eren was saying.

Levi didn’t want to burst their happy bubble, but he was here for business after all. “Mikasa, we have to go now.” He immediately regretted what he said, because Mikasa gave him a devastated look.

“But I want to talk to Eren more,” she said in a low voice. Levi bit his lips, trying to figure out how to lift her mood.

Thankfully, Eren was prepared. “I want to talk with you more too. How about this, I’ll find you after Levi’s gameplay, alright? Well, if Levi doesn’t mind, of course,” Eren suggested, turning their attention to Levi as they finished.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Levi replied, berating himself for not being more eloquent.

Directing their attention back to Mikasa, they smiled, “And you can meet my friends.”

Eren’s smile was contagious because Mikasa smiled back, “Yay! I want to meet Ms. Historia properly, and I want to see if Jean’s face is actually like a horse’s in real life.”

Eren threw their head back as they laughed. Levi made a note to give Mikasa a high five for making Eren laugh like that in his presence.

“That settles it then. Thank you for keeping us company, Eren. We will speak more with you later inside the convention center,” Levi wanted to just stop talking. Forget eloquence, he needed to relax.

Eren gave him a smile and nodded, “Anytime. Hey, uhm, if you two have free time, I can show you around the city?” They suggested, but asked at the same time, looking at Levi if he would agree to the idea.

While Levi was mentally thanking every deity for this opportunity, Mikasa answered for him, “Yes, we would like that.”

“That settles it then. I need to go find my friends, but I shall see you two later,” they said, picking up their garbage and leaving the Ackermans to themselves.

Levi wistfully stared at Eren’s back as they walked away. Mikasa looked at her dad before rolling her eyes. “You know, you could have totally gotten Eren’s phone number.”

“Mikasa,” he said in a warning tone.

She shrugged before clearing the table and dumping in the garbage can. “C’mon Dad, I’m getting cold.”

Levi mumbled under his breath as he took her hand. The two walked to the convention center in silence before Mikasa abruptly stopped.

“Mikasa, what’s wrong?”

“I forgot to ask Eren for their autograph!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Amy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/armsoftheocean) for the edits! (And congrats on finishing your exams! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧)


	18. Q&A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to step up your game, Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am dying because my readers are wonderful human beings and my heart is gonna explode from how great they are. Check it!
> 
> ♥ Eeeee! Another [pastel Eren cosplay](http://tunalikessheep.tumblr.com/post/126312757464/i-attempted-a-closet-cosplay-of-queenpasteleren)! And it’s done by the lovely tunalikessheep! Also, she also did a cute [chibi drawing of Eren](http://tunalikessheep.tumblr.com/post/125807619309/so-i-drew-pasteleren-from-cocoachoux-s-fic)!  
> ♥ The talented magickitt blessed this fic with the amazing [donair scene](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/126320517888/ahh-dammit-this-fic-and-the-cute-i-tried)!  
> ♥ There’s a [blushy Eren](http://forever-a-stray.tumblr.com/post/126362247105/cocoachoux-i-promised-fanart-for-your-fic-a-few) that you need to see done by forever-a-stray!  
> ♥ legendarygoatwarrior looks precious as she [cosplays the Queen](http://legendarygoatwarrior.tumblr.com/post/126362862074/i-tried-cosplaying-queenpasteleren-from-cocoachoux)!  
> ♥ Praise erericoffeelife because they drew [Levi's Q&A](http://erericoffeelife.tumblr.com/post/126376698398/for-the-click-on-my-heart-fanfic-love-this-fanfic) below AND [the family selfie](http://erericoffeelife.tumblr.com/post/126395189178/perfect-photo-click-on-my-heart-fanfic-is-just)!  
> ♥ theperksoflovingbarakat is being super productive in class by having [a little Eren](http://theperksoflovingbarakat.tumblr.com/post/126387087114/this-is-for-you-cocoachoux-d-i-may-have-doodled) on their work!  
> ♥ And I hope you’re ready for cetlii‘s [soft-looking majestic Eren](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/126397742367/cocoachoux-haillo-i-did-a-thing-for-your-thing)!

“There you are, Eren!” Sasha greeted as Eren approached the group.

“Historia told us what happened. Why didn’t you tell us that you met the Corporal and the Knight?!” Connie exclaimed.

“Okay, like I know that I said that you’re going to meet your online crush and all, but that was quick, even for you,” Jean commented, wincing as Eren punched him in the arm.

“I didn’t plan any of it, it just happened alright?” Eren defended as they crossed their arms, a blush making its way on their cheeks.

“So, what exactly happened?” Ymir asked as she latched onto Historia for warmth.

Eren relaxed their stance before scratching the back of their head. “Well, I saw a kid being pelted with snowballs, so I decided to defend them. It turned out that the kid was Mikasa. Then Levi came, and then Historia,” they briefly explained.

“Did you end up eating with them?” Historia asked.

Biting their lips, they looked down before nodding, “Yeah.”

“Oh, shit! Yeager already went on a date with the Corporal!” Jean yelled out, but was quickly hushed by Marco, and receiving another punch from Eren.

“It wasn’t like that, Jean. I saw a Halifax donair shack and wanted to get one. On the way, I coincidentally met them and asked if they wanted to try one. That’s it,” they said.

“YOU ATE WITHOUT ME?!” Sasha yelled, feeling betrayed.

“Nuh-uh, we need details, now spill,” Ymir prodded, ignoring Sasha’s cries.

“Hey, how about we go inside the convention center? We still don’t know what time the panels will be, and I’m sure we don’t want to miss anything,” Marco suggested. Eren shot him a grateful look and Marco nodded at them with a smile.

“Fuck, that’s right. Here’s your badge, Eren,” Jean said as he passed the lanyard with a laminated card to Eren. “I checked out the program book and it says that the Corporal’s live gameplay will be in the afternoon, but I want to try out the new Oculus Rift Touch controllers that they’re letting attendees try.”

Connie was jumping from excitement, “Yeah, we can tease Eren while we’re waiting in line, let’s go!”

Eren groaned as they watched their friends walk ahead of them to the convention center. But, as they looped the lanyard around their neck, Eren can’t help but smile.

_‘Well, I guess I’ll be seeing the Corporal and the Knight later,’_ they thought as they followed their friends through the convention doors.

* * *

The room was buzzing with excitement. Eren looked around after taking a seat and their eyes widened. “Holy shit, there are a lot of people here,” they loudly said to Marco, who was sitting next to them.

Marco nodded and replied in a louder voice volume than usual, “Yes, I believe this room holds about a thousand people.”

Eren let out a low whistle, but the sound was drowned out by the noise surrounding the group. They took a look at their phone to check the time before the lights dimmed down. The noise in the room died down when there was a spotlight at the stage area revealing a man, presumably the MC or a convention organizer.

“Hello, everybody! Welcome to Toronto Game Con!” the man greeted in a loud voice, even with the microphone he was holding.

The audience responded with a loud cheer. “Alright, so we know he was a last-minute addition, but we couldn’t be happier to have him with us for this weekend. Please give a big Canadian welcome to- HUEMANATEESSTRONGEST!” the man yelled out the last part, but the crowd was louder.

Screams and yells were heard as Eren saw Levi take the stage. The man walked across the stage with precise movements and raised his head as chants of “COR-POR-AL” were repeated from the audience. Levi walked over to the MC and grabbed the mic from him.

Levi gave the MC a nod as he left the stage, leaving Levi to the crowd. Taking a deep breath, Levi greeted the audience, “Greetings Canadian legionnaires, how are all of you doing?”

More screams were thrown back at him as he nodded to some of the audience members that were up front, fist enclosed on their chest. “It seems like these soldiers know what to do,” Levi commented.

Eren watched in amazement as everyone promptly stopped their cheers and did the signature salute that Levi always did at the end of his videos. Eren was in awe as they watched the Corporal in action. The man wasn’t even on stage for a minute and he had already gained control of the audience’s attention.

Nodding at their behavior, Levi raised the mic back to his face, “Alright, now, I know I wasn’t in the program book, but I’m glad that you’re all with me. I was supposed to do a live gameplay, but some dumb fuck in the back didn’t set it up properly-” a few people chuckled, knowing the gamer’s penchant for order. “-so I’m just stalling until everything is up and running. For now, we could do some Q&A-type stuff in the meantime if you’re all up for it.”

The crowd cheered in agreement and Levi nodded. “That’s a yes then. Okay, so how this works is that there are two mics, one on each side of the room, and whoever has a question, can go to the mic, IN AN ORDERLY FASHION,” Levi explained, stressing the last part as he saw some people running to the mics he had indicated. He narrowed his eyes as he took a look at the people who were in line and added, “And if one of you fucks say “Kappa”, I’ll personally see to it that you get exiled. Do I make myself clear?”

Eren shivered as they heard his cold voice. The threat was real and Eren could see that some of the people in the mic line-up were shifting their eyes and were fidgety. They were confused at the sudden behavior until Marco leaned over to whisper, ““Kappa” is a troll thing.” Eren shuddered, needing no further explanations. Trolls were the worst.

“Okay, first question,” Levi said as he pointed to one side of the room.

“Uh, hi! I just wanted to say, I’m a really big fan and your videos are amazing. Uhm, my question for you is, why did you decide to come to Canada?” a teenager asked.

“Instead of deciding under my free will, it’s more like my shitty friends back home decided for me, so you can thank them for that. You over there,” Levi answered before directing his attention to the opposite side of the room.

“Is Mikasa with you on this trip?”

“Hm, I dunno. ‘Kasa, you wanna get out here?” Levi asked as Mikasa came through the curtains and walked towards Levi.

The whole crowd went nuts when they saw the little girl walk down the stage. A volunteer quickly followed behind her to give the girl a mic as well. Mikasa felt a bit overwhelmed with the amount of people in front of her and staring at her, but her heart raced faster when the crowd chanted “Knight” as they did similarly with Levi earlier.

Mikasa brought the mic to her face, thankful that she asked Levi to try it out while he was rehearsing, or else she would’ve made a piercing sound that the mic makes when it was too close to her mouth.

“Hello,” was her simple greeting to the audience, but they ate it up as there was more cheering.

Levi raised his hand for the audience to quiet down before he returned his attention to the person who asked the question. “I think this answers your question, next.”

Another teenager went up to the mic, “Hi there! Welcome to Canada! Uh, I was wondering if you were planning on making new content, especially ones with Mikasa.”

Levi tilted his head before answering, “Actually, we do have plans to launch a new gaming channel, but more kid-friendly. It’s still in the works, but you can expect more of Mikasa.”

“And Armin! And maybe even another friend of mine!” Mikasa added, smiling as the crowd cheered at the idea.

Levi let out a low whistle. “I didn’t know that you guys would be interested in a family-friendly channel with no cussing. If I did, I would’ve done this a long time ago. There’s no set date, but be sure to be on a lookout for an announcement. Alright, next.”

“So, uh, hello, Corporal. Uh, I was wondering, what is the most annoying part of the whole video process?”

“Editing. I record hours of footage, and then I have to condense it to 45 minutes. It’s such a pain in the ass to listen to my own breathing through my headphones.

“And I swear to fuck, the next person who comments “Darude – Sandstorm” on one of my videos will not only get immediately blocked, but I will get the fucker’s IP address and find them myself so I can go techno on their ass,” Levi growled out the answer, ignoring the audience as they laughed at his threat. Seriously, though, that joke should be long dead and gone by now.

Levi rubbed his temple with his free hand before pointing to the next person. “Alright, your turn.”

“Hi, ah, I just finished watching your _Five Nights at Freddy’s_ walkthroughs. I was just wondering, who do you think is the Purple Guy?”

“Oh fuck no, we’re NOT going there. Shit, that game still haunts me in my dreams, especially after I watched that game theory video. And also, the goddamn creator recently released the 4th game of the series, so you can bet that I’ll be making more _Five Nights at Freddy’s_ videos, so be on a lookout for those. Oh, and fuck Bonnie and Chica. Seriously, screw them. Next question over there.”

“Hi! I was wondering if I can take a picture with you?”

“Not right now, but I’ve been told that I’ll be having an autograph session later. I’ll post the information on Twitter, so be sure to check regularly. Okay, next.”

A rather muscular man went up to the mic before looking at Levi from a distance. “Do you even lift?”

The whole room went completely silent as everyone watched Levi’s reaction. The man on stage raised an eyebrow but then looked around the audience. Eren held in their breath when they made eye contact with silver ones. The man had a calculated gaze before shifting his attention back to the person who asked the question.

Levi looked at Mikasa and she raised her eyebrow at him. She had the same look a few hours ago when Mikasa told him to step up his game if he wants to impress Eren. He rolled his shoulders a few times before passing the mic to Mikasa. He stepped back before he removed his leather jacket and in one swift movement, the shirt he was wearing was also taken off, leaving him with just a tank top. He grabbed his mic back from Mikasa, who was covering her eyes with them, and said, “I’d like to think so.”

There was a moment of silence before screams resonated the room. There were whistles and catcalls directed at him, but Levi couldn’t help but turn his gaze at Eren’s general direction from the corner of his eye.

Eren was about to faint. Who was this beautifully sculpted creature? It couldn’t possibly be the same person whom they spoke with a few hours ago, eating a donair and being a mother hen to his daughter. Eren bit their lips as they saw Levi’s muscles moved, wishing that the tank top will go away as well so they could see the tattoos that were covering Levi’s arms more clearly. Eren let out a quiet sigh as they saw Mikasa shoving the shirt and jacket back at Levi, making a face at him as she did so.

“Gross, Dad, I didn’t need to see that,” Mikasa said as she scrunched up her nose.

Levi just ruffled her hair before pointing to the next person to ask a question. “Alright, your turn.”

“Hiya Corporal! I was just wondering, what are some of your favorite channels to watch?”

Eren whipped their head to the voice and their eyes widened as they realized it was Connie that asked the question.

Levi narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to figure out why the bald kid looked familiar, as he slowly answered, “I don’t really have any definitive favorites-”

“Liar.”

Some “Ohhhh”s and “Oh shit”s came from the audience as Levi glared at his daughter.

Mikasa just ignored him. “Well, **_I_** personally like to watch QueenPastelEren’s videos. They’re the best!”

Eren felt a blush making its way back onto their cheeks. They felt happy when Mikasa referred them as “they” instead of when they were on their “girl day” for their Queen videos. Maybe it was because Mikasa was referring to the Eren now instead of “YouTuber Eren.”

There was a slew of whispers right after Mikasa’s answer. Lots of “I knew it!” were said in an excited whisper. Eren furrowed their eyebrows as Connie smirked, satisfied with the answer and left the mic to return back to his seat.

“Ah, yes. They make great videos,” Levi coughed out, trying to will the blush away. More murmurs came from the audience but was quickly silenced by Levi’s glare.

Regaining his composure, he nodded to the next person in line. “Okay, you’re next.”

The girl at the mic shuffled a bit before asking in a clear voice, “Do you have a crush on someone?”

Levi was certain that his jaw dropped a bit as his cheeks slowly turned pink. Mikasa looked away, trying her damn hardest not to grin. The whispers and murmurs from before grew louder in volume. Eren was whipping their head around when they heard their name being said in different directions, wondering what was going on.

Levi racked his brain for a good reply, one that doesn’t end with him accidently professing his love in front of a thousand people preferably, but he was drawing a blank.

But it would seem that Lady Luck decided to visit Levi because a volunteer called to Levi from behind the stage, letting him know that everything was ready. Levi thanked the stars mentally, before addressing his attention back to the audience.

“Well, what perfect timing. We can start playing right now, sorry if I didn’t answer the question, but there is a schedule I need to follow,” he said as some event volunteers pushed a platform out onto the stage. Two computers were set up, various consoles were arranged, and everything else he would need to play in front of a thousand people.

The audience seemed to not like the interruption as they were groaning in dissatisfaction. Levi waved his arms at them, trying to get the crowd to re-focus. “Hey, this is what you all originally came to see.”

Eren pouted in their seat, wondering why Levi avoided the question.

And they were also wondering why the heavy pang in their chest was still there. They sighed to themselves. Now wasn’t the time to get jealous over nothing.

They didn’t notice that they were fidgeting in their seat until Marco looked at them with a concerned look. “Are you okay there, Eren?”

Eren froze, finally realizing that they were tapping the floor with their boots. Letting out a deep breath to calm themselves down, they turned to look over to Marco and gave him a small smile. “Ah, I’m alright, Marco. There’s nothing to worry about, I was just spacing out, that’s all. ”

The freckled male scrunched his eyebrows with concern. _‘He’s way too nice for Jean,’_ Eren thought. Seeing that the other didn’t look sick, Marco nodded and the two returned their attention back to the stage.

“Okay, what game should we start off first? All of you go on the Toronto Game Con Facebook page right now and vote at the poll they just posted. You have five minutes, go,” Levi said as he set the mic away, and put on his headphones. Mikasa hopped next to him and did the same thing.

There were huge screens throughout the room so every person could clearly see. Cameras were set up in a way that lets the audience see Levi’s and Mikasa’s faces. The video capture was on and the screens showed the convention page with the poll.

Levi looked up to see everyone on their mobile devices, voting. He looked over to Eren’s direction to see their face being illuminated from their phone screen. He couldn’t help but smile a little, knowing that he’ll be seeing Eren after this.

The older Ackerman sighed as the poll closed and the voting ended. Readjusting his mic, he opened up _Agar.io._

“Alright legionnaires, let’s get this shitfest started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FNAF will forever freak me out, but I eagerly wait for the next installment so I can read more theories about it.
> 
> Thank you for editing [Amy](http://elizabethdarcy.tumblr.com/)!


	19. Meet & Greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, new players.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-san has gone on vacation, so please don't mind awkward sentences for the next few weeks. D;
> 
> But! There's more amazing fanart and cosplay! And even a meme!
> 
> ♥ I’m so happy that erericoffeelife decided to do fanart of [Mikasa as Aya from Mad Father](http://erericoffeelife.tumblr.com/post/126560948208/drew-mikasa-as-aya-from-mad-father-by-request-of)!  
> ♥ [QueenPastelEren](http://wizard-angst-413.tumblr.com/post/126563115345/fanart-for-one-of-my-favorite-fanfics-click-on-my) AND [HueManateesStrongest](http://wizard-angst-413.tumblr.com/post/126596222550/punklevi-fanart-for-the-fanfiction-click-on-my) done by wizard-angst-413?! Sign me the fuck up!  
> ♥ *cries because the amazing magickitt drew the ["Do you even lift?" scene](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/126568959613/bro-do-you-even-lift-if-youve-read-click-on)*!  
> ♥ I died again because jinriins drew [Eren in an apron](http://jinriins.tumblr.com/post/126576190569/apron-eren-for-cocoachoux-based-on-their-amazing)!  
> ♥ Thanks to -lostinthemaze-, there may be [pastel/punk!Eren](http://-lostinthemaze-.tumblr.com/post/126587737694/a-little-sketch-of-eren-from-cocoachoux-s-fic) in the near future!  
> ♥ Get ready to say yes, because bloodredphantom drew an [adorable Eren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/126683325702/i-know-i-shouldnt-be-drawing-fan-art-for-other) that you can never say no to!  
> ♥ legendarygoatwarrior did another wonderful [QueenPastelEren cosplay](http://legendarygoatwarrior.tumblr.com/post/126672725824/when-you-cosplay-queenpasteleren-and-your-cactus)!  
> ♥ There’s another amazing fanart of the ["Do you even lift?" scene](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/126653177271/cocoachoux-do-you-even-lift-augh-i-was-gonna) and it was done by cetlii!  
> ♥ Check out erens-harem‘s gorgeous [Queen cosplay](http://erens-harem.tumblr.com/post/126736896876/i-tried-to-do-a-cosplay-of-gender-fluid-pastel)!  
> ♥ I didn’t think that someone would do the [crowd yelling meme](http://thesadisticsiren.tumblr.com/post/126757498331/from-click-on-my-heart), but thesadisticsiren proved me wrong!  
> ♥ Take a look at awkwardlymehere's [smol Mikasa](http://awkwardlymehere.tumblr.com/post/126737325045/ive-drawn-more-for-you-cocoa-choux-smol-mikasa)!

Eren’s stomach hurt from laughing so much and they were sure that their smile will permanently be on their face.

The live gameplay was successful to say the least. It started off with _Agar.io_ (which Mikasa somehow managed to win in the end), then it moved onto _Papers, Please_ (which Levi was really good at), and _Surgeon Simulator_ was the last game Levi played with Mikasa (they managed to complete it after five tries, lots of yelling, and received a ‘C’ for their efforts). Levi said his thanks to the audience and announced that he will be doing his horror walkthroughs the next day along with the autograph session. With a nod, he left backstage with Mikasa in tow while the crowd cheered.

As people were leaving the room, Eren wondered what they were supposed to do next. Eren knew that they told Mikasa that they’d find the two, but they weren’t sure where they ran off to.

“Eren, you ready to go?” Historia asked as she noticed her friend didn’t move from their spot.

Eren looked up and saw that their friends were already standing, ready to leave. “Oh, um, actually, I need to do something.”

Jean shot them a confused look. “So? What is it that you need to do?”

Eren started to fiddle with their fingers. “Well, I kinda promised that I’ll meet with Levi and Mikasa after their live gameplay. And maybe I told them that I’ll introduce them to my friends.”

There was a beat of silence before Jean and Connie were up at their face, visibly shaking from excitement. “Eren! Why didn’t you tell us before?! C’mon, get your cute pastel butt up and let’s go!” Connie exclaimed, grabbing one of Eren’s arms as Jean grabbed the other.

The rest of the group watched in amusement as the two boys dragged Eren to the stage area, ignoring their protests of letting go.

“Well then, shall we?” Historia asked.

Sasha’s stomach grumbled and Ymir gave her a look of disbelief. “Are you serious? You just ate two hours ago!”

“I can’t help it alright? I need to go to the nearest restaurant after this,” Sasha mumbled as she walked towards the direction the three ran off to.

Marco let out a chuckle. “That settles it then,” he said. The two girls nodded and the three followed behind Sasha to meet the infamous Corporal.

* * *

“We’re sorry, but you aren’t authorized to go back here.”

“But we need to see HueManateesStrongest!” Jean demanded as Sasha, Marco, Ymir, and Historia finally caught up to them.

The convention volunteer shook his head. “I can’t let you back here without permi-”

“They’re with me,” a cool voice interrupted.

Levi approached the group with Mikasa right behind him. She looked up and grinned once she saw her idol. “Eren!” she exclaimed. She left Levi’s side to go up to Eren and hugged them.

“Oh, Mr. Ackerman! I’m terribly sorry. I wasn’t aware that they were with you because of their badges,” the volunteer tried to explain.

Levi just shook his head. “It’s fine. That’s all I have to do for today, right?”

“Yes, sir. We will notify you about where to go for your autograph session in a few hours. It will be held some time tomorrow morning at the autograph booth area. Oh, if you have any questions, a volunteer would be more than happy to help. Have a good day, Mr. Ackerman,” the volunteer excused himself, running off behind the stage curtains.

Levi absentmindedly nodded to the volunteer staff as he departed since his real focus was on Mikasa and Eren. Levi held back a grin when he saw Mikasa chatting away with Eren, smiles on both of their faces. Eren picked the girl and she looked _very_ happy to be held by them.

_‘This is not the time to get jealous over your daughter again, Levi,’_ the man berated himself. Despite his thoughts, he couldn’t help but let out a small grin.

The rest of the group looked at Eren holding Mikasa and then to Levi, who was looking at the two with a soft look on his face. _‘Oh, ho…’_ they thought. Ymir, Jean, and Connie actually let out a snicker, while their respective partners tried to hush them.

Eren seemed to snap out of their conversation and looked at Levi with an apologetic look. “Ah, I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Levi, Mikasa, these are my friends,” they gestured beside them.

Eren introduced each of them one at a time and Levi gave the group a curt nod of acknowledgment and a small wave. His eyes lingered a little longer on Connie, finally recognizing that he was the one who asked a question earlier. Ah, that’s why the kid looked familiar to Levi; he was a friend of Eren’s that appeared on their King channel from time to time.

Mikasa fidgeted so she could be let down. Once on the ground, she went up to Historia with a big smile. “Hi, Historia! I’m a fan of your channel. I really liked the Crystal Makeup tutorial that you did a few days ago!”

Historia gave the girl a smile and patted her head with a thank you. Giggling, Mikasa went up to everyone and said her hellos. She finally reached Jean and looked at him, squinting her eyes.

Getting a little uncomfortable stare, he gave her a wary look. “What?”

Mikasa tilted her head and after a while, she smirked. “You’re right, Eren. He does look like a horse.”

Levi let out a snort before the rest of the group burst out laughing. Jean flushed red as Marco tried to calm him down. The little girl raised an eyebrow, challenging him to deny it.

Yup, she took after her dad alright.

Levi stepped forward and ruffles Mikasa’s hair. “So, what now?”

Sasha’s stomach grumbled loudly again. She crossed her arms over stomach and groaned, “Can we go eat now, please? I’m dying here!”

Connie sighed. As much as he wanted to speak more with the Corporal, he had a girlfriend that he needed to look after. “C’mon, let’s go to that buffet we passed by earlier today.” He grabbed her arm and started dragging her away. “We’ll see you soon! And you’re invited to come as well, Corporal and Knight!”

The rest of them decided to follow them, leaving Eren with Levi and Mikasa. “Did you two have lunch yet? Would you like to join us? I’m sure we can talk more while we eat,” Eren suggested.

Mikasa looked up at Levi; her eyes were demanding him to accept the invitation.

He couldn’t deny orders from his daughter, could he?

Levi nodded. “Sure, just let us get changed first before my balls decide to become one with me,” he said without thinking.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did he have to say something like that?

Mikasa looked mortified by his choice of words, but thankfully, Eren seemed to find it humorous and started laughing.

Fuck it, Levi will count that as a win.

Eren’s fit of laughter died down a little before speaking. “Ah, sorry,” What was with Canadians and saying sorry? “Well then, we will be waiting just outside the main exit of the convention center. Make sure you don’t get caught by your fans, Mr. Famous,” Eren said with a wink.

They seriously need to stop that. Levi does NOT want another coughing fit like earlier that day thank you very much.

Levi watched as Eren leave to find their friends, marveling in the way that they sauntered out of the room.

“You’re staring again,” was Mikasa’s comment, raising an eyebrow as Levi coughed and walked towards the back to get their winter wear.

Huffing, she followed him, deciding not to comment the blush on his cheeks this time. There was plenty of time to tease him later.

* * *

“The Corporal was shorter than I expected,” Ymir mused, laughing as her girlfriend whacked her arm.

“Hey, as a fellow short man, I take offense to that!” Connie cried out.

“Yeah, yeah, at least you didn’t have a little girl call you a horse,” Jean mumbled behind him, still a bit bitter about the comment.

Sasha looked back and saw that Eren was still with Levi and Mikasa. She covered her mouth with a hand so a giggle wouldn’t escape. “Hey, did you see the way that he looked at Eren?” she whispered.

“Holy fuck was it obvious. There might as well be a neon sign behind him that says “Marry me.” The dude’s totally not hiding it at all,” Jean said.

“Well, it’s a good thing, though, right? The feeling’s mutual, so there shouldn’t be a problem,” Marco said, but looked confused when Jean and Connie let out a deep sigh.

“We’ve known Eren forever Marco, and let’s just say…” Connie trailed off.

“They’re as dense as bricks when it comes to things like this,” Jean finished.

Historia gave them confused looks. “But, didn’t Eren date a few people during their time here?”

Jean groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yes, but in all those cases, Eren was the ASKEE, not the ASKER. You would think with Eren’s strong-headed personality, they would let the other person know their feelings but…”

“They don’t. The best they’ll do is flirt as a hint, but that’s about it. We think it’s because back in elementary school Eren liked this girl and asked her out but she flat out rejected them in front of the whole class. They were so heartbroken from that incident, and it was probably the reason why Eren doesn’t initiate these kinds of things,” Connie explained with a sigh. “They typically just stare at their crush from far away, and hope that the other person likes them back to ask them out.”

Ymir looked back and saw that Eren was laughing at something Levi said. “Well, it doesn’t look as if the Corporal will ask Eren out by the way he’s looking at them. It seems like he _wants_ to, but he’s holding back for some reason. Then again, he is a single father and he lives in another country to boot. I don’t know if it’ll work out if he even does have the courage to ask.”

“It will.”

The group looked at Marco, as he gave them a smile. “Even though Eren’s not the strongest player in this game, they do have friends who are, right?”

Jean gave his boyfriend a huge grin before giving him a peck on his cheek. “This is why I love you. You’re right, if Eren can’t ask the man out, we’ll get the Corporal to ask them out instead.”

Connie let out a fist pump. “Hell yeah! By the time the convention is over, we’ll get them together.”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Historia said with a smile.

“What plan?”

The group turned to see Eren staring at them with a tilt of their head. Eren’s eyebrows furrowed when they saw their friends giving each other weird glances. “Uh…” they collectively said.

“Oh, uh, we decided to change our food plans. We thought it would be great if we showed the Corporal and the Knight the CN Tower. You know, since they’re visiting here and all,” Sasha said.

Eren looked even more confused. “But aren’t you hungry Sasha?”

“I’ll be fine! I’ll just visit the food truck outside and I’ll be good! And besides, there’s food at the tower, you know that.”

Eren looked at her oddly before shrugging. “Sure, sounds like fun. Haven’t gone up there in a while,” they said as they walked past them to the exit.

The group let out a sigh of relief. “That’s a great idea, Sasha. We can get them to ride the elevator together with the Corporal and maybe even convince them to do the Edge Walk!” Connie exclaimed as he hugged her.

Jean nodded with a smirk. “Perfect. And when they do, we can ditch them.”

Ymir let out a bark of laughter as she put her arm around Historia’s shoulders.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”


	20. Edge Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of writing was done and more lovely artwork appeared:
> 
> ♥ Thank you cetlii for drawing such an [adorable Mikasa](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/126815075206/mikasas-just-curious-about-the-glass-levi)!  
> ♥ I’m blaming my tears on magickitt because of this [beautiful family scene](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/126960823033/omg-i-just-saw-that-ereri-with-eren-and-levi-and)!  
> ♥ Warning, bloodredphantom drew the most [illegal Eren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/127023657107/i-finally-got-a-drawing-program-for-the-computer) ever!

Levi swore that he saw Mikasa literally glowing with excitement as she looks up at the CN Tower. Her head was tilted all the way back as she tried to look up to the top of the tower from where she was standing.

“Mikasa, it’s time for us to go in,” Levi called out, but not before taking a picture of her. She looked so tiny compared to the large structure.

The little girl grinned as she bounced her way to Levi, making sure to avoid the ice patches on the ground. Levi took her hand as he followed the college students into the tower’s entrance.

“Hey there, Corporal! We got the tickets already, and no, we’re paying for it since you signed our stuff,” Connie said.

Levi wanted to protest – he can pay for himself, thank you very much – but thought back on how grateful the group looked when he autographed their phone cases and convention shirts, and that this was their way of expressing their thanks. Especially since Eren’s eyes twinkled as they held their phone close to their chest after Levi signed it.

And no, Levi didn’t blush when he saw how cute Eren was when they smiled at him. Nope, not at all.

Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by an insistent tugging coming from Mikasa. She looked ready to ditch Levi and run to the elevators without him. Rolling his eyes, he let himself be dragged by his daughter as they waited in line to get in.

The line took a shorter time than Levi expected. The elevator doors opened and a group of people left as the whole group got in. Mikasa squealed when she saw that embedded to the elevator floor was a glass paneling, letting the passengers see below them.

Levi wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing his possible death if something terribly wrong happened as they go higher and higher. He let out a sigh of relief when they finally reached the designated floor. Stepping out, he saw that there were a few windows showing the view of the city, but there were people around this certain area, laying down and taking photos.

“Fuck no.”

Eren looked down and gave the man a confused look. “Is something the matter?”

Realizing that he said his thoughts out loud, he shook his head and looked up at them. “It’s nothing.”

“Levi, are you scared of heights?”

“No, I just like being safe, that’s all,” he replied. Normally, he would give a snarky reply to anyone else, but Eren wasn’t just anyone. And also the fact that whenever Eren said his name, his mind doesn’t function as well as he wanted it to be.

“Ah, that’s reasonable. Though, I don’t think Mikasa shares the same mindset as you.” They nodded their head to the side.

Damn Eren for distracting him. Now he watched in horror as Mikasa stepped onto the glass floor and started _jumping_ on it.

Levi swore he saw his life flash through his eyes as he ran to grab a hold on her. “Mikasa Ackerman, what do you think you’re doing?!” he hissed. He tried to be calm, he really did, but ‘Mama Bear Levi’ decided to take over.

She gave him a confused look. “Jumping? The sign says that more than 15 elephants can stand on the glass without breaking and I’m not as heavy as an elephant and I wanted to test it,” she reasoned.

Levi let out a big sigh as he let her go. “Just try and not give me a heart attack, okay?”

“Eren would do that before I could anyway,” she said as she ran across the floor, laughing at her dad’s red face.

Levi huffed, as he went back to the group that was looking out the windows. Marco saw him approaching and gave him a sheepish grin. “Let me guess, your child was rolling across the glass floor?”

Levi scrunched his nose in disgust. “That’s unsanitary. But no, she was jumping on the glass,” he said as he watched over Mikasa.

The freckled boy nodded, “I know what you mean. Jean, Eren, and Connie did the same thing when they first came here.” Levi let out a snort, not at all surprised based on the few conversations he listened in on while they were walking to the tower.

“Kids are scary things, they’re literally invincible,” Ymir chimed in. “But it’s funny to see them face-plant as their parents shit bricks over it.”

Levi nodded in agreement, though he wasn’t sure if the last part was poking fun at his parental status.

After looking at the view of the city for a while, Jean let out a yawn. “Should they head up to Sky Pod now? They have to go back to the main lobby, though.”

“Don’t you have to buy an extra ticket for that?” Levi asked, remembering the different prices at the ticket desk.

“Yeah, but we got you and your daughter a premier pass. We want you two to have the full tower experience. Besides, Sasha and Ymir have a city pass that lets them get discounts on the city’s main tourist attractions. Oh right, we got the pass for Eren too,” Jean said.

“Wait, what?” Eren looked surprised at this information.

“Well, someone’s gotta show them around. Now, go. We’ll be here, but we’ll meet you down in the main lobby area in a while,” Connie said as he pushed the tickets in Eren’s hands, gesturing for them to move to the elevators.

“Oh. Okay, then. Mikasa! We’re going up!” Levi called out for her. His heart started to beat faster knowing that Eren would be their personal tour guide. Even though he would be 30-something stories high, he doesn’t mind it if Eren was there with him.

Mikasa bounced back to them after reading every little fact and history about the glass floor and sending pictures to Armin and Annie. She was elated when he told her that they would be going higher to see the view better.

The elevator ride down was short, and they had to go to a separate elevator that directly took them to the Sky Pod. Levi noted with approval that there were significantly less people in this area. Mikasa quickly went to the nearest window and looked out in awe.

Eren let out a giggle before following Mikasa and looked down at the city as well. “It’s a great view, eh?”

“Indeed it is,” Levi mumbled as slowly followed behind, not really talking about the view outside.

“Eren, what’s that over there?” Mikasa asked, pointing to the little patches of land from the lake.

“Well, that’s Lake Ontario, and the little island is called Toronto Islands. Not really a creative name, eh? There’s actually an underwater tunnel that leads to the small airport that they have.”

“Cool!” Mikasa exclaimed.

The trio walked all around the pod. Mikasa asked lots of questions of certain buildings that caught her eye, and even Levi asked a few questions about the history of the city landmarks. Eren proved to be a great guide as they were able to answer every question without hesitation.

Levi had to admit, he was enjoying the experience. There were less people, a great view, and he certainly wasn’t going to complain when Eren sometimes pressed closer to him when they were pointing out to certain buildings they want the two Ackermans to see.

Eren was in a middle of explaining the ferry boats when their phone started to ring.

“Sorry about that,” they excused as they took out their phone. Eren made a face when they saw the caller ID and accepted the call. “What is it?”

“Hey, how’s your date going?” Jean asked on the other line.

“Jean,” they growled out in warning.

“Okay, okay, yeesh. Anyway, I’m just calling to let you know that we’re waiting in the main lobby. Oh, and we got something for you too. See you in a bit!”

“Wai-”

Eren furrowed their eyebrows when they heard Jean hang up. _‘Wonder what that was about,’_ they thought. Putting away their phone, Eren turned back to the family. “Jean called. He said that the group is waiting for us in the lobby.”

Levi nodded as he nudged Mikasa away from the window. “C’mon Mikasa, it’s time to go.”

“Aww,” she pouted but moved away from the window anyway. She followed the two to the elevators to go down.

“So, did you enjoy your time here?” Eren asked her.

She gave them a big grin. “Of course! I really like to be close to the sky like a bird. And I really liked being there with you.”

Eren let out a chuckle and ruffled her hair. “I like being with you too,” they said as the elevator stopped.

As the elevator door opened, Mikasa looked up to her dad and gave him a smirk before grabbing Eren’s hand and dragging them out of the elevator. Eren laughed at her behavior and Mikasa looked back to stick her tongue out.

Levi looked at her in disbelief. He didn’t realize he actually stopped moving until a staff member let out an awkward cough, asking if he was alright. Shaking his head, he reluctantly followed them to where the rest of the group was.

“Did you enjoy the view, Levi?” Historia asked.

“Yeah,” Levi mumbled. He wasn’t really paying attention since he was looking at Eren’s direction. They were looking at the photos on Mikasa’s phone and giving their opinion on the shots she took.

“Well, since you liked the view so much, maybe you’ll like to see it from a higher point of view,” Jean suggested.

Again, not really paying attention, Levi shrugged. “Sure.”

“Great! Here, you and Eren can go enjoy doing the Edge Walk!” Sasha said as she shoved the tickets to Levi.

“WHAT?!” Eren yelled, totally hearing the last bit of the conversation.

“You heard the woman, Yeager. You and the Corporal are gonna go all the way back up to do the Edge Walk,” Jean ordered.

Levi looked at the tickets, tuning out Eren and Jean’s yelling before he agreed. “Okay, I don’t see why not.” He would agree to anything if it meant that he got to spend more time with Eren.

Eren stopped their yelling and sharply turned their head to him. “What, really? I thought you said that you liked being safe.”

“Yes, but how does the saying go? “YOLO” or something? It seems interesting and I want to try it out and rub it in four-eyes’ face that I did it,” Levi said. Well, it was mostly true, anyway. But in all honesty, he was maybe a _bit_ bitter about the stunt Mikasa did and _maybe_ he wanted to spend more time with Eren.

Alone.

1168 feet in the air.

Wait a minute.

Eren looked at Levi and tilted their head. “Are you absolutely sure?”

They have to stop doing that because at this rate, Levi was positive he would jump off the tower if they asked him to do so. “Yes.”

Eren let out a sigh but gave him a big smile. “Okay then.”

Looking back to where Mikasa was, he glanced at the group. “Can I ask all of you to take care of Mikasa while I’m dangling a thousand feet up in the air?”

Connie laughed and slapped Levi’s back. “Yeah, not a problem, sir. We’ll be at the café since Sasha’s getting hungry again. You two go fun alright?”

Eren laughed as well. “We will. See you all in a bit,” they said excitedly as they head towards the elevators again with Levi beside them.

“Bye Dad! Make sure you don’t faint!” Mikasa called out, laughing when he turned his head to glare at her.

As she watched Levi and Eren go into the elevators, she looked up at Jean. “You’re trying to get my dad together with Eren, right?”

Jean looked nervously to his friends. “What? No…”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. “I’m not dumb you know, but my dad is. He’s so slow and a dork when it comes to Eren.”

Marco looked at her in surprise. It was odd to see a child concerned over her parent’s love life. “So, you’re okay if your dad dates Eren?”

“Yes. I’ve been telling him to step up his game but he’s being stupid about it,” Mikasa complained with a huff.

Ymir let out a loud laugh. “It looks like the daughter has approved of our lovely Eren for a long time. Now it’s up to the dear Corporal to do something about it.”

* * *

_‘Holy shit,’_ was Levi’s first thought when he stepped out onto the platform. The man slowly walked over to the edge and felt his heart lodged in his throat as he looked down to the city below.

“Oh man, I haven’t been up here in such a long time,” Eren said with glee.

Levi looked over beside him. They were both wearing matching red suits with yellow straps that were attached to the cord of the tower. Even though Levi felt ridiculous in the outfit, he couldn’t help but think that Eren looked adorable even out of their usual pastel palette, especially with the wind blowing their hair in different directions.

“Okay, is everyone doing well so far?” the guide asked the small group of individuals willing to walk around the tower’s edge.

Sounds of agreement were the response as the guide nodded her head. “Alright, just like how we practiced earlier, I want all of you to stand on the edge and spread your arms out like you’re about to give the city below a great big hug.”

Levi didn’t resist rolling his eyes at her cheerful instruction. After Eren moved in position, Levi let out a deep sigh before moving closer to the edge. Spreading his arms out, he felt his fingers touch Eren’s. Looking to his right, he saw that Eren was giving him a grin as they lowered their arms more to be leveled with Levi’s.

“Don’t worry and relax. I’m here if you need help.”

If his heart was pounding because of the high altitude earlier, it was now pounding even harder from the innocent touch from the angel beside him.

“Okay, next we’re going to lean forward very slowly,” the guide called out again, demonstrating how to do it.

Levi took in a deep breath as he leaned over as instructed, feeling a slight tug from the cord that was attached to him. He gasped as he saw the city below him. There were many patches of snow that had not yet been tampered with, cars zooming by traffic, and pedestrians looking like tiny ants as they walked.

It felt weird knowing that the world was so small, but exciting at the same time. He didn’t realize that he was smiling until he turned to look at Eren and saw that they returned the smile with a bigger one and a slight blush on their cheeks.

The tour group walked around the perimeter of the platform before they were in view of the lake.

The guide called for the group’s attention. “Alright, now it’s time to lean back. Turn around and gently fall back. It can be scary, but take your time.”

Levi turned his back to the city and took another deep breath. Closing his eyes, he slowly leaned back as far as the cord would let him.

Feeling fingers touching his, he opened his eyes to look over to Eren. They laughed and pointed behind them. Awkwardly turning his head, he felt a warm feeling coming from his chest even though he was up high with cold air.

A feeling of content washed over him as he saw the waters of the lake sparkle from the sun’s rays. He could see some of the land popping out and boats moving at a slow pace. Levi felt his hand being held and turned back to see another one of Eren’s beautiful smiles as they squeezed his hand.

“How is it?” Eren asked.

Levi smiled back, “It’s great.”

Even though he was leaning over the edge of a tower that was over a thousand feet tall and he was outside in the winter, he couldn’t help but feel that everything was right and perfect as he held Eren’s hand.

* * *

“So, how was it? Awesome, right?” Connie asked as he saw the two approach the café table.

“Yeah! It was a bit cold, but the city looks awesome in winter,” Eren said, holding up the certificate that said that they did the Edge Walk.

Levi sat down next to Mikasa as Eren described the different things they saw while they were up there.

“Hey, Dad,” Mikasa greeted as she hugged him.

“Hey yourself. Did you get bored waiting?” Levi asked, returning the hug.

Mikasa shook her head. “A bit, but I got souvenirs for Armin and Annie. And Historia bought a smoothie for me. How was it up there?”

Combing the strands of her hair with his fingers, Levi hummed, “It was amazing. Wish you could’ve been there with us.”

Mikasa let out a hum as well, starting to feel sleepy from Levi’s ministrations. “Bring me back when I grow taller than you,” she teased.

Levi let out a grunt. “Oh right, they even gave us a video while we were up there, and a photo too,” he said as he placed the items on the table.

Mikasa grabbed the photo and giggled. “You look so lame,” she said. Red and yellow didn’t suit her dad at all.

He flicked her forehead for that comment. Placing the photo down, she asked, “Did you talk with Eren at all when you were up there?”

Letting out a sigh Levi shook his head. “Not really.”

The girl gave him a disappointed look. “Why not?”

Levi rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. “Because everything was perfect.”

“Right…” she said, not really understanding the answer. Looking over to Historia, the blonde gave Mikasa a wink. Glancing back to her dad and then to Eren, Mikasa shrugged.

Oh well, there were more opportunities to get them together.

Especially since she now has more people on her team to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, check out my new tag: [#cocoa writes](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/tagged/cocoa-writes) on Tumblr for other stuff that I’ve wrote that may or may not be related to COMH. ^^ (You may have to go into “Reader View” mode though.) I may compile all the stuff I've done on Tumblr onto AO3 in the future. :)


	21. Shipping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can do it, Levi!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of awesomeness around! 
> 
> COMH HIT 1000 KUDOS! WOO!!! And to celebrate, I'm hosting another giveaway! [Click here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/127265159834/click-on-my-heart-giveaway-2) to go check it!
> 
> And of course, it's time to showcase the lovely fanart! :D
> 
> ♥ bloodredphantom decided to spoil me with the amazing [“Do you even lift?” scene](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/126761517187/another-drawing-i-did-for-click-on-my-heart-by) and [punk!Levi being punk!Levi](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/127134466222/my-drawing-of-punklevi-aka-huemanateesstrongest)!  
> ♥ [FOREHEAD TOUCHES KILL ME](http://captainoftherirenship.tumblr.com/post/127047195216/another-picture-for-cocoachouxs-fic-click-on-my). Thanks for the sweet image captainoftherirenship!  
> ♥ Take a look at this [beautiful, precious Eren](http://a-world-of-freedom.tumblr.com/post/127109401456/heres-the-fanart-i-promised-for-cocoachoux-and) done by a-world-of-freedom!  
> ♥ You gotta check out legendarygoatwarrior‘s [Queen cosplay](http://legendarygoatwarrior.tumblr.com/post/127166965354/because-this-fandom-doesnt-have-enough-eren-in-a) in a kimono!  
> ♥ candied-cravat drew the scene below of these [dorks talking to each other lovingly](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/127118090846/fanart-for-the-new-chapter-of-click-on-my-heart-by)!  
> ♥ r5danisnotonfireauslly3 comes back with more fanart of our [Queen](http://r5danisnotonfireauslly3.tumblr.com/post/127187197737/cocoachoux-sorry-the-glasses-are-red-i-thought-it)!  
> ♥ Bless nayawata and the [gorgeous pastel!Eren](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/127239089910/embracing-colors-with-cocoachouxs-cute-pastel) fanart!  
> ♥ Abuuu, there’s more [smol Mikasa](http://theperksoflovingbarakat.tumblr.com/post/127245501929/smoll-mika-from-click-on-my-heart-by-cocoachoux) and it was done by theperksoflovingbarakat!

It was day two of the convention. People gathered in large crowds, talking excitedly with one another in front of the many vendor booths, and there were distant slashing sound effects from some of the games that were being played.

Eren wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing as he sat on the sidelines, waiting for Levi to finish his autograph session with his fans.

What he _did_ know, was what he was currently feeling: his heart was beating faster, his face was flushed red, his was mind not thinking clearly, and he was constantly experiencing shortness of breath.

And those symptoms only appear from just _looking_ at Levi.

Eren didn’t even realize that he let out a dazed sigh when he heard Levi talk to a fan in French until someone whacked him on the back of his head.

“What was that about?” Eren asked irritably. He turned to look at Jean with a glare as he rubbed the back of his head where he was hit.

Jean just shrugged in reply, “You were drooling. Anyway, we’re leaving to show Mikasa around the convention hall. Just wanted to let you know.”

Eren looked at him with confusion. “Are you sure? Did Levi give you permission to let her walk around?”

“Don’t worry Eren, I asked Dad earlier and he said it was okay,” Mikasa said, popping from behind Jean.

“Oh. Do you want me to come with you as well?”

Mikasa shook her head. “No, it’s fine. But can you please keep my dad company after he’s done? Just in case we don’t come back in time.”

Eren felt a little sad that she didn’t want him to join them but nodded his head at her suggestion. “Sure. Go have fun, okay?”

Mikasa smiled at him and he smiled back. Goodness, she was an adorable little creature. She readjusted her scarf (she still wore it, even indoors) and followed Jean to the rest of the group waiting for them.

As he watched them walk away, Eren sighed, wondering what he should do. Checking his phone, it seemed that the autograph session would be going on for another 30 minutes or so, leaving a lot of time for Eren to kill. Biting his lips, he pulled up his Tumblr app to answer some questions.

Eren deleted several troll comments and questions that have been answered multiple times in previous asks. It took a good five minutes until he finally started to answer the questions. Some of the questions were simple enough: when would the next video be out, what his favorite food was, if he was going to go on another tour soon, etcetera, and etcetera.

He was answering questions left and right, but paused at one particular one:

**Anonymous said:**  
_do u no abt the pastelpunk tag???_

Eren frowned at that. He remembered the time when Historia first appeared in one of his Queen videos, some of the fans ‘shipped’ them together (and if Eren recalled, their ship name was ‘2Queens’). Eren immediately had to make an announcement asking people to stop and to dispel any rumors and made it clear that Historia was already in a wonderful relationship with her girlfriend and to respect their privacy.

With “pastelpunk” though, Eren had a very good idea of who he was being shipped with and he wasn’t sure what to do.

He knew that he liked Levi. But to Eren’s dismay, it wasn’t a simple crush either.

From the way the man addressed himself, to his “I-don’t-give-a-fuck-but-I-still-do” behavior, to his appearance, and to the way that he would give Mikasa a fond look, made it so very hard for Eren to deny his attraction to him.

He genuinely liked Levi and it scared him.

Scary because he had never felt this attracted to someone before, and so quickly too. (Well, maybe not so quickly since Eren has watched all of Levi’s videos at least twice.) His infatuation with the older man went beyond the video personality that he saw, especially since Eren has now met the man in real life.

Eren groaned. All of this thinking was too confusing.

With a huff, Eren decided to check out the tag. Because fuck it, why not?

There was a mix of different posts all jumbled together within the tag. Lots of different text posts, aesthetic collages and outfit coordinates using pastel and punk clothing (Eren made a mental note on those), but the ones that grabbed Eren’s attention were picture posts, specifically, the fanart.

Eren didn’t even need to look in a mirror to know that his face went through many different shades of red. Some were… explicit enough that Eren quickly scrolled down, but the innocent ones were what made Eren want to squeal. He knew he should have felt weirded out by all the fanart of him and Levi hugging (just like he freaked out when he saw fanart of him and Historia kissing), or the fanart of his and Levi’s foreheads touching, but he didn’t feel repulsed at all. If anything, Eren wanted to see more.

He lifted his head and looked in every direction to see if anyone was around was around him. Once the coast was clear, he continued to scroll through the tag.

The pastel boy was having trouble because he wanted to simultaneously look at the fanart and chuck his phone across the convention floor because his heart couldn’t handle it. There were some very talented fans out there, Eren had to admit.

He was so engrossed with his phone that he literally jumped when he saw a shadow peering over him.

Quickly locking his phone, Eren looked up to see silver eyes peering through his mismatched ones.

Levi’s tilted his head in confusion and asked, “Are you alright Eren? Your face is a little flushed.” The man’s voice was laced with concern and Eren will forever wonder why people would comment that Levi was emotionless.

Shaking his head, Eren replied, “I’m fine. It just got a little warm in here. Higher body temperature, remember?”

Levi wasn’t sure if a person could be warm enough to the point that their ears turn pink, but accepted the answer anyway. “If you say so. Where are Mikasa and the others?”

Eren straightened up and gestured for Levi to sit next to him. “They said that they were going to show Mikasa around the convention.”

Sitting down next to Eren, Levi made sure that he sat close but not close enough for him to accidentally knock his knees with Eren. “I see. You didn’t go with them?”

Again, shaking his head, Eren replied, “No, Mikasa asked if I could stay here to keep you company in case they didn’t come back in time.”

Levi almost let out a scoff, knowing exactly what his daughter was trying to do. Straightening his posture, he turned a little so that he was facing Eren a bit more. “I’m sorry for making you wait; I didn’t want to say no to the people who stood in line for such a long time to ask me for an autograph.” Levi wanted to bash his head against the nearest wall, he sounded so conceited just now.

Eren waved his hands in front of him. “Not at all. I totally get what you mean. It’s really hard to say no to the fans, especially those who waited so long to finally meet you.”

Levi let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Eren understood what he was trying to say. It helped that Eren was a fellow YouTuber and understood their kind of work.

The two sat in silence not really making eye contact with each other. It was starting to get uncomfortable until Levi received a text. Seeing that Eren was looking away, he unlocked his phone to see that he received a message from Mikasa.

**Mikasa** (1:11 PM)  
_Go talk to him already! ): <_

Trying not to make any sudden movements, he slowly lifted his head and glanced to his right to see Mikasa at the far end of the convention hall with her arms crossed. Even from all the way from where he was sitting, he could _feel_ his daughter’s frustration.

How embarrassing was it to have his own kid push him to speak with the pastel beauty? With a mental sigh of defeat, he asked, “So, how are you enjoying the convention so far?” Very basic, but Levi was at a loss of what to do.

Realizing that Levi was trying to start a conversation, Eren fully turned his body so he could face the man. “Oh, good I guess. I’m not really into video games myself, but the stuff that’s shown here is really interesting.”

Levi tilted his head at him (Eren didn’t know why a head tilt from this man was endearing, but it was). “Really? But I thought you have watched my videos?”

“I do, but I guess I’m one of those people who prefer to watch than actually play? Sorry.”

Levi rolled his eyes before smiling a bit. “There’s no need to say sorry. You Canadians, I swear. And lots of people are like that. No shame there.”

Eren’s heart fluttered when he was on the receiving end of that smile. He couldn’t help but smile back. “I guess that’s why you have so many fans.” Eren paused, trying to think of something to continue the conversation. Remembering something that has been on his mind, he asked, “Say, how did you get your channel name anyway? You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to.”

Leaning back, Levi groaned. “I don’t mind, but it’s kind of stupid of how I got it.”

Eren gave him an encouraging smile, “Go on, we have time.”

Levi let out a huff before looking up. “Well, before I started YouTube, I worked as an accountant for this company. Anyway, a few months after I got Mikasa, I realized that I wasn’t spending enough time with her to be a proper parental figure, especially since she just lost her parents.”

Levi then looked down at his feet and Eren wished that his eyes were on him as he continued to listen, “And I couldn’t really cut many hours from that job, so I decided to go out drinking with my friends to brainstorm some ideas of what I should do. The bar we went to had game consoles set up and apparently there was some sort of tournament going on that night.

“Hange managed to convince me to enter the stupid tournament, and I probably agreed because I was a little drunk, and decided that it would kill some of the stress by beating some other players. I don’t remember the details exactly, but I won in the end and some people there suggested that I become a professional gamer.”

Levi let out a sigh as he continued, “Then the bar owner suggested playing games and uploading videos on YouTube since it would be more flexible. Hange caught wind of the conversation and immediately suggested that I should call it “HueManateesStrongest” based on a stupid meme that was circling around at the time but I agreed to it because I couldn’t think of a better name and also because-” Levi finally looked at Eren, but he didn’t expect the last few words that came out of Levi’s mouth.

“Manatees are cute as fuck.”

Eren couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud. It was funny the way that Levi looked so serious when he when looked straight into his eyes when he said that.

Letting his laughter die down into giggles, Eren looked at Levi with mirth. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at your story or anything, but the way you said that with a straight face was funny to me.”

Levi smiled as Eren closed his eyes to continue laughing. The man wasn’t even offended in the slightest. The fact that he made Eren laugh like that made him ridiculously happy.

After Eren finished laughing, he asked, “So, what happened after that?”

He rolled his shoulders before continuing, “Hange decided to create the account for me, mind you, we were still drunk. And once sober, I didn’t really care and kept the name and researched more about becoming a YouTuber. Knowing that I could work full-time at home while having time to spend with Mikasa was a dream come true. Of course, I started making videos on the side for fun to see where I would go and the moment I reached over a hundred thousand subscribers, I quit my accounting job and became a YouTuber full-time. The rest was history. It still amazes me that people actually like what I do and want to watch it, but I’m eternally grateful because, without them, I wouldn’t be here where I am today.”

Eren looked at him with such adoration and Levi swore he saw heaven’s gates open for him. “But you’re amazing you know? You decided to dedicate your time to Mikasa so that you could spend time with her and at the same time, you make people’s day when you post a new video.”

Levi felt like he was on cloud nine. He has been praised before (and receive lots of thanks from his fans), but it was different when Eren says it. Smiling, Levi let out a small thanks and Eren returns it with an even brighter smile.

“I know that you said that you didn’t want to get into it, but I really want to hear your theory of what happened at _Five Nights at Freddy’s_ ,” Eren asked.

Levi gave him a smirk, “Sure, but you asked for it.”

* * *

From across the convention hall, a group of college students and a young girl let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally. I thought they would just sit there if we left them like that,” Ymir said as she saw the two in an animated discussion.

Connie nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Good thing you gave the Corporal a text, Mikasa.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes but let out a smile of satisfaction. “He wouldn’t have done anything if I didn’t. Now c’mon, we have more things to plan,” she said as she walked towards the exit.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Hange: _“Everything is going according to plan.”_

Almost immediately, she got a reply back.

**Hange** (1:22 PM)  
_Ahahahaha! Just make sure short stack brings back home that cutie-patootie!!!_

Mikasa smirked as she replied back: _“Of course! :D”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've already went on my Tumblr and read the post entirely, here is the form: [good luck! :)](http://goo.gl/forms/dUhSP8BTmd)


	22. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone and their grandma knows, it’s so obvious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *flutters around* Check out the fanart and cosplay, and the giveaway!
> 
> ♥ Take a look at our lovely [Queen and her Ackerman plushies](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/127266614592/this-is-going-to-have-to-be-my-last-drawing) done by the amazing bloodredphantom!  
> ♥ A [beautiful Eren](http://tomatofairyart.tumblr.com/post/127341485369/i-was-reading-click-on-my-heart-decided-to-draw) appears thanks to tomatofairyart!  
> ♥ And the gorgeous erens-harem decided to cosplay [QueenPastelEren](http://erens-harem.tumblr.com/post/127470217181/my-second-attempt-at-a-pastel-eren-cosplay-from) again!

“Hey, let’s go into this store,” Historia suggested.

After being ditched at the convention center, Eren and Levi met up with the rest of the group later at a local mall. Once Mikasa told the young adults that she and her dad were going to stay until after New Year’s, they decided that the two Ackermans desperately needed some appropriate winter gear.

Walking into the store, Mikasa asked her dad, “Did you talk with Eren this time?”

Levi looked down and ruffled her hair. “Yeah, yeah. We had a nice long conversation. Though, I think I might’ve scared him about my game theories. If anything, he’s going to be more wary of animatronics if he ever sees one.”

“Dad!” she reprimanded, whacking his arm.

The man let out a low chuckle. “Sorry if our conversation wasn’t what you were expecting, but you should know how I am by now.”

Mikasa looked away with a huff. When Levi wasn’t being awkward, his inner geek would come out. The girl doesn’t remember how many times he tried to explain to her the significance of some drop item from a game, saying that it will significantly increase his stats or something. He was a true gamer at heart.

She sighed. Well, at least they were talking so Mikasa would consider it as a small victory.

The two looked around for some warmer jackets while the rest of the group wandered off to another area of the store.

Looking through the multiple racks of identical-looking jackets, Levi let out a snort, “Why the fuck do all of these jackets need to have the stupid fur trim?”

“Ah, that’s to help your face keep warm.”

“Eren,” Levi greeted, turning around so he could face the brunet. He tried to school his surprised expression to a calm one, but from the snicker he heard from Mikasa, he wasn’t successful in doing it quickly enough.

Eren let out a sheepish grin, but he doesn’t look quite apologetic from startling the older man. “Well, from what I’ve heard, the fur acts as a barrier between you and the harsh winds, perfect for Canadian winters,” he explained.

Levi nodded. That made sense, but why did it have to look so tacky?

“So why are you here instead of with your friends?” Levi asked as he inspected the sleeves of one of the jackets.

“They wanted to go to the food court since Sasha got hungry again and I thought I would stay behind so I can help you two find proper clothes. If you don’t mind that is.”

“We don’t mind!” Mikasa piped in as she looked up at her dad to see if he would reject. Hah, as if he would mind.

With Levi’s nod, Eren let out a grin. “Great. Now, my suggestion is to get a parka since they tend to be longer, and therefore warmer,” he said as he led the two to another section of the store.

Levi wondered if Eren was a sales associate at some point since everything that the brunet said made Levi want to buy out the whole store. By the way that he spoke to the way that his eyes sparkled whenever he recalled something interesting made Levi want to listen to him forever.

Levi didn’t know how much time had passed but Eren managed to go through almost every parka, listing the pros and cons of each one and letting the Ackermans try them on for a proper fit.

In the end, they decided to get name-branded parkas. It was super warm and comfortable, so Levi wasn't going to complain. But Eren did.

“Levi-” the man still hasn’t found a way to calm his heart every time Eren said his name, “-are you sure you don’t want to get something less… pricey? I mean, you won’t take it with you when you go back home, right?”

Levi rubbed his chin as though the thought never occurred to him. He just wanted to keep him and Mikasa as warm as they could while they were up here. “I guess I can donate the parkas before we leave. We’ll be here for another week and a half, and we need something to keep us warm since we’re so used to Cali weather. I really don’t want to experience frostbite if I can avoid it. And I also promised Mikasa that I would take her out skating so that implies other recreational activities outdoors.”

Eren nodded and gave the man a smile. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure someone would be very grateful for your donation. And hey, if you’re taking Mikasa outside, I suggest getting some snow pants and boots for her as well.”

Giving Eren an affirmative nod, he headed towards the cash register. “That sounds good. Do you mind looking after Mikasa while I purchase these?”

“No problem. We’ll be going over to that store to try out some boots and you can meet us up there. C’mon Mikasa,” Eren said as he took her hand.

Levi was glad that he could trust Eren and his friends to take care of her while he does something else. As much as he loved her, he knew that he shouldn’t be overbearing since she needs her own space to grow and socialize with others who weren’t in her inner circle.

Ever since meeting Eren, Mikasa smiled a lot more and laughed at the antics of Eren’s friends. They were a great group of young adults. Jokers and pranksters for sure, but still good in Levi’s books.

Taking a picture of the two leaving the store holding hands (they looked adorable together), Levi took the parkas and waited in line.

Bless the people who work in retail because Levi was sure as hell that he would not have nearly as much patience as the girl behind the counter explaining to the customer in front of Levi that no, the coupon expired yesterday and it was no longer not valid.

But of course, there were people out there who have a hissy fit when things don’t go their way and when the customer started berating the girl, Levi decided to slam the clothes on the counter and interrupted, “If you would excuse me, _ma’am_ ,” Levi sneered, “I would much rather pay for my items soon instead of hearing you harass an employee who clearly knows how to read a damn coupon.” Fuck politeness and fuck stupid customers.

The woman looked like she wanted to retort but stopped with her mouth hanging open once she took a quick once-over at Levi. Thinking that it wasn’t worth it, she huffed and stomped out of the store yelling that she won’t be shopping here again and the typical stuff customers like her had to say.

Rolling his eyes, Levi turned to look at the girl. “Are you alright?”

Regaining her composure, the girl blinked a few times before giving him a smile. “Yes. Thank you so much for handling the situation, sir,” she said as she scanned the items he had on the counter.

“I’m sure you would’ve handled it just fine. I just can’t stand customers like that and not do anything. And I thought people were nicer here,” he said as he took out his credit card to pay for the purchases.

“Oh, are you not from around here?” she asked as she placed the parkas in a large bag.

“I’m from L.A. I’m just here for business and vacation.”

“Is this your first time in Canada?”

Levi nodded and the girl smiled again. “That’s great! I do hope that you enjoy your stay here. Oh, and since you purchases totaled over $500, please scratch this card and you can win one of the prizes,” she said, gesturing to the sheet with the different prizes.

Shrugging, Levi took a coin and scratched one of the circles and revealed an image of a diamond.

The girl clapped. “It looks like today is your lucky day, sir.” She rummaged below the counter to get something.

Levi awkwardly stood there, not exactly sure what to do as the girl was taking her time to grab whatever prize he won. Thankfully there weren’t any customers behind him as the girl popped back up, surprising Levi with the abruptness of it all, and placed two boxes in the bag before pushing it towards Levi.

“Here you go, sir. I hope that you have a great day and thank you again.”

Levi grabbed the bag and gave the girl a nod and a small smile. “Same to you as well, take care,” he said as he left the store.

He went into the store across the one he was at and found Mikasa and Eren at the children’s section.

“So, have you found something you like, Mikasa?” Levi asked as he approached the two.

Mikasa tapped the boots she was trying on together and nodded. “Yeah! I really like these ones. Do you like them?”

Levi raised an eyebrow. The boots she was wearing were pink, blue, and purple. They weren’t the usual colors she would wear but Levi suspected that Eren’s presence might have influenced her decision.

“They look nice on you, Mikasa. Are they warm?” he asked. After Mikasa gave him an affirmative nod, he gestured her to take them off so he can purchase the boots as well.

Once she placed the boots back into the box, he gave his card to her. “Do you remember my PIN?”

“Yup!” she said as she took the card from him and went to the cash register herself.

“Teaching her how to do things on her own, Mr. Dad?” Eren asked in a teasing voice.

Levi let out a small chuckle. “As much as I want to spoil her, I can’t baby her forever.”

“That’s good. By the way, what took you so long?” he asked.

“There was a stupid customer in front of me.”

“Ah,” Eren responded, needing no more explanation.

“Oh right, I also got some sort of prize.” He placed the bag on the bench and looked inside.

There were two small, identical boxes, but one of them had a sticky note on top that had a heart drawn on it. Ignoring that one, he opened the other box to reveal a pair of sterling silver cubic zirconia snowflake earrings. There was a small note in the box and it read, _‘Thank you again for earlier. This isn’t your actual prize (this is the second-tier prize but you purchased a lot so we can let this slide), but I think your daughter will like it!’_ Making a note to ask Mikasa if she wants to get her ears pierced, he set the box back and picked up the other one.

Inside the box was a sterling silver rose gold plated bracelet. There was a rose quartz shaped into a heart in the middle with cubic zirconia surrounding it. It was simple and dainty, but very beautiful. There was another note, but this one read, _‘This is your actual prize, congrats again! Be sure to give it to that pretty brunet, alright? :)’_

Levi snapped his head and turned his head to look at the previous store. He saw that the girl was folding some clothes but lifted her head to see him staring at her. She smiled and waved at him. And if his eyes were working properly, he was sure that she sent a wink his way.

“Levi?”

Oh shit, Levi totally forgot that Eren was still here with him.

Snapping the box shut, he placed it back into the bag and returned his attention to the curious brunet. “Yes?”

Eren tilted his head. “What did you get as prizes?”

“Oh, just some nice earrings. I’m thinking of giving them to Mikasa but she doesn’t have her ears pierced yet, so I’ll ask her first.” Levi wanted to pat his back for that smooth explanation.

“Earrings?”

Levi looked down to see that Mikasa finished her purchase and looked at him with begging eyes. He let out a chuckle as he grabbed his bag. “Well, it looks like she is getting her ears pierced today. Know any good places to do so, Eren?”

Eren laughed as he saw Mikasa skipped out the store. “I know a few places. Let’s go or else we’re going to be left behind.” He grabbed Levi’s forearm and followed behind Mikasa.

Levi stumbled a bit before it registered in his mind that Eren was holding – well, dragging would be more correct – his arm. The man was internally cheering and as they left the store, Levi made eye contact with the girl again. For sure this time, she winked as she waved goodbye and he returning the gesture.

_‘I take back what I said earlier. Canadians are great.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, there's still time to enter the giveaway! [Click here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/127265159834/click-on-my-heart-giveaway-2) for more information!


	23. Spoiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What an interesting proposal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *writes furiously* School is slowly approaching and I'm trying to write as much as I can before my updates slow down. 
> 
> But good news is, is that there's more fanart! :D
> 
> ♥ Eren is ready for [some shopping](http://sayitlikeyouregoingtocomeback.tumblr.com/post/127516998831/stuck-doing-traditional-sketches-until-new-drivers)! And yes, two-toned wig Eren must be a thing, sayitlikeyouregoingtocomeback!  
> ♥ Ahhh! The wonderful cetlii spoiled me with [Eren & Mikasa](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/127619180111/augh-more-comh-art-for-cocoachoux-i-know-its) and also more [Eren & smol Mikasa](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/127619663616/nyeh-this-is-my-effort-to-stay-awake-in-class)!

After a few hours of shopping, Levi, Mikasa, and Eren decided to take a rest in the mall’s food court. Coming back with burgers and fries for their dinner, Levi noticed that Mikasa was sitting across from Eren and she placed the bags beside her, leaving the seat next to Eren open for him.

_‘Is she…?’_ Levi didn’t even finish his thought as his daughter made eye contact with him. After staring at each other for a bit, the man let out a sigh. He placed the tray down with their food and plopped next to Eren. Levi felt Eren go rigid next to him and realized that he unintentionally nudged against the brunet. Scooting away, Levi mumbled an apology before handing everyone napkins.

The three started to eat the food (Levi, again, claimed that he would be the one paying) and making light conversation. “So, where are your friends now?”

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Eren replied, “Oh, they’re still here, but they’re at the mall theaters right now.”

“Sorry that you’re missing the movie because of us. But we really appreciate your help and enjoyed your company today.”

“No, no,” Eren shook his head. “I enjoy being with you two.”

Levi picked the wrong time to take a drink because the soda went down the wrong pipe and he started coughing. Waving off Eren’s worried look, he assured the brunet that he was fine. Taking a deep breath, he took another sip of his drink once he deemed it was safe to do so and tried to ignore Eren’s gaze on the side of his face and the unimpressed look Mikasa was giving him.

Even though Levi knew that Eren was referring to both he and Mikasa, his heart heard “too” instead of “two”. The man felt his cheeks heating up, so he picked up his burger to start eating again to hide his face.

Eren hummed at the man’s behavior, but decided to ignore it and changed the topic, “So, did you get everything you need?”

“I believe so. I think we’re now thoroughly prepared for Canadian weather. Is there anything else that you need to get Mikasa?” Levi asked as he folded the burger wrapper.

Mikasa swung her legs back and forth as she thought of her answer. “No, not right now.”

“Are you sure? Do you want any more earrings? If you do, we can always go back to buy more.”

“Dad, I think I have more than enough,” she said, playing with her new piercings.

Eren bit the inside of his mouth. Throughout the whole time shopping, anytime Mikasa’s eyes lingered on something a few seconds too long, Levi would immediately ask if she wanted it. She usually denied his offer, but when she actually wanted something, she would try to buy it with her own money even though Levi said that he had no problem purchasing it for her.

The brunet allowed himself to grin. The two were just so funny. One wanted to buy things on her own while the other one wanted to spoil her rotten. After a while, Mikasa had enough of her dad’s pampering and threatened Levi to tell “you-know-who” about his “you-know-what.” Who “you-know-who” and what “you-know-what” were, Eren had no clue, but Levi apparently did and promptly shut his mouth.

And if Eren remembered properly, he was sure that the man _pouted_ when she bought a notebook by herself.

Eren allowed himself to chuckle. They were funny _and_ adorable, but he truly enjoyed his time with the Ackermans. It was fun to see their faces when he took them to the dollar store and showed them the chocolates the States didn’t have (like Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, and Mr. Big for instance). Levi had told Eren that he recalled most of the chocolate bars as a kid back in France, but never actually had the chance to try them. In the end, the man bought two of each of the unique ones so Mikasa would try them as well.

Though, before leaving, Levi and Eren managed to have an argument about ketchup and dill pickle-flavored chips (Levi called them an abomination but Eren calls them the flavor-gifts to the potato chip world), but thankfully, Mikasa was there to break up the fight before they caused a scene. Ha, some adults they were.

Eren shook his head at the memory as he finished eating his food. He learned a lot about the two in a few hours just based on what they purchased and small conversations they had while walking up and down the mall. There was even some talk about future videos and projects that the two YouTubers thought of. In fact, Levi told Eren what he planned for the new gaming channel with Mikasa and her friends and that the channel trailer would be released sometime next month when the two get back…

“Eren? Are you okay?” Mikasa asked.

Eren blinked a few times before lifting his head to see Mikasa’s inquisitive stare. Realizing that he was lost in thoughts for a moment, he smiled at her. “I’m fine, thank you. I was just thinking.”

Right, the two were leaving soon. And he was leaving the day after the convention to go back home.

Sighing, Eren turned to Levi to distract himself from those thoughts. “So, what will you be doing tomorrow for the last day of the convention?”

Finishing the last of his drink, Levi answered, “Just an autograph signing and I’ll be done.”

“What will you be doing afterward?”

The man shrugged before he leaned back. “Not exactly sure. I have the hotel booked until we have to leave, and we’ll have to occupy our time until then.” Levi frowned as he thought about his situation a bit more. As much as he would love to ask Eren if he had time to show them around the city during their time here, he also knew that the brunet was leaving to go back to visit his family.

Levi looked across from him and noticed that Mikasa started to frown as well, realizing what would be happening soon. The man wanted to groan in frustration, what could he do to make everyone happy?

“Oh, how about Christmas then?” Eren asked, not knowing about the inner turmoil Levi seemed to be having.

“We exchanged gifts with our friends and family before coming here. And I don’t know what else we’re going to do because it’s also going to be Dad’s birthday…” Mikasa trailed off.

“Wait, your birthday is on Christmas?” Eren asked.

Levi relented and let out a groan. “Yeah.”

“And you two will be celebrating your birthday and Christmas at the hotel?” Eren prodded.

“I guess so,” Levi said, trying not to feel disappointed. He could really care less for the holiday and his birthday, but this will be the first time Mikasa won’t be celebrating ‘properly’ with everyone else. Levi wanted to smack his face. That was another thing for him to worry about since he didn’t consider that the two won’t have anywhere to go on Christmas Day. He didn’t plan this out properly, did he?

Eren slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. “That is unacceptable!”

The Ackermans were startled by Eren’s sudden actions. Why does he look so offended? “Eren?”

“Hold on, I’ll be back,” he said as he left the table.

Levi and Mikasa looked at each other with confused looks. Mikasa looked down and started to pick on the food wrappers with a dejected look. “Dad? Are we really going to stay at the hotel for Christmas?”

The man sighed. Leave it to his daughter to ask for something when he has no control of. “As of now, yes. But I’ll think of something for us to do.”

Mikasa nodded, not too happy with the answer but didn’t voice out her complaints. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes until Eren ran back to the table.

“Okay, I solved the problem,” Eren declared with a big grin on his face.

“And that is…?” Levi prompted.

If possible, Eren’s grin grew wider. “Well, I just asked my mom for permission and she said you two are invited over to my household for Christmas.”

There was a beat of silence until Mikasa jumped up. “Really?”

Eren nodded while Levi frowned. “Are you sure Eren? We don’t want to impose.” As much as Levi would like to take up on that offer, it was way too generous of him to offer a place to stay and celebrate with a family he just met – granted, Eren knew of them before meeting in real life, but still…

“Of course. My mom is thrilled that there will be more people joining our family for Christmas. And don’t worry; we won’t have any weird relatives coming over or anything. It’ll be just my parents and us.”

“Wait, what about your friends?” Levi asked.

Eren sat back down on his seat before replying, “Ah, good question. Well, Connie is going to be moving in with Sasha during the break so they’ll be busy with that. Ymir and Historia are staying here, and Jean and Marco are going to visit Marco’s family for Christmas. But they’re all coming to visit my family in the New Year, so it’s not too bad of an arrangement.”

“Dad? Can we go?” Mikasa asked with a hopeful voice. Levi let out a frustrated groan. She was being unfair; she knew he would say yes to anything she asked.

After some thought, Levi sighed in defeat, “Well, if you don’t mind having the little brat around, we gladly accept your invitation.”

He barely managed to finish his sentence before he felt small arms around his waist. “Yay! Thank you, Dad!” Levi let out a small smile before ruffling her hair.

“You’re hugging the wrong person you should be thanking, Mikasa.”

Mikasa let go of Levi’s waist and moved over to hug Eren instead. Unlike Levi, Eren returned the hug enthusiastically. The man wanted to melt at the sight before him, trying to calm his heart from beating out of his chest.

After a longer-than-necessary hug, Eren let go of Mikasa and let out a large grin.

“That settles it then. You two are coming back home with me for Christmas!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the giveaway ends August 28th! [Enter](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/127265159834/click-on-my-heart-giveaway-2) while you still have the chance!


	24. Skype

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I believe in a thing called love~♪

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH. School is slowly approaching! But at least there’s fanart to smile about (though, I’m a stupid butt and didn’t see these wonderful artworks earlier).
> 
> ♥ embarrassing-gourmet blessed us with the lovely [pastel!Eren](http://embarrassing-gourmet.tumblr.com/post/127029982616/loud-laughing-bcs-i-havent-drawn-eren-before-but)!  
> ♥ And check out this beautiful [Eren with blue lipstick](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/127568366875/what-i-thought-would-be-nice-to-doodle-takes-over) done by nayawata!

“I can’t believe you signed a dildo!”

Levi lazily glared at the chat window on the screen. Hange’s and Isabel’s loud laughter rang through the speakers as Farlan gave him an amused grin.

“I was about to tell the guy to shove it but Eren and his friends prompted me to sign that thing. And the fan also shoved latex gloves in my face so it was kinda hard to say no at that point,” Levi tried to explain.

“As if, I bet it was because you wanted to see Eren smile when you sign it,” Isabel accused.

“Not everything I do is about Eren-”

“Yes it is.” the three said at the same time.

Levi looked away and mumbled while Mikasa laughed beside him. Okay, so maybe it was because Eren’s beautiful eyes twinkled with mirth that convinced him to sign that damn purple thing. Though, he made a mental note to not ever do it again because who knew what the next fan might bring for him to sign. A vibrator, a butt plug, used underwear – or heaven forbid – dirty socks?

The man shuddered thinking about it. At least the dildo was encased in a plastic covering of some sort. And from what Levi observed, it looked new, so it wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be.

Banishing the thoughts out of his mind, he returned his attention to Mikasa’s conversation with his friends.

“So, with the convention over, what’re you two gonna do now?” Isabel asked.

Mikasa jumped on the bed as she looked at the camera. “Aunt Izzy, listen to this! Eren invited us over for Christmas!” Mikasa exclaimed before Levi could interject.

There was a beat of silence before the video lagged a bit. It took a few more seconds, but the video cleared to reveal Hange’s and Isabel’s face pressed together and _way_ too close to the camera.

“Are you serious?!” came from Isabel.

“Levi, why didn’t you tell us earlier?!” Hange screeched.

Levi muted the call until he saw that their mouths stopped moving. Once he deemed it was safe for his eardrums, he unmuted the call and replied, “Because I knew you two were going to act this way, that’s why.”

Isabel started to squeal again before Farlan nudged her away from the camera. “So, you guys aren’t going to stay in Toronto?”

“No. We’re traveling with Eren to Ottawa, and will probably stay there until we have to fly back.”

“I can’t believe that you’re spending the holidays with the precious honey bun, I’m so jealous!” Hange whined.

Levi shrugged, but in his mind, he was grateful for Eren’s offer. Not only does he get to spend more time with the brunet, but Mikasa as well.

After they departed at the mall, Mikasa couldn’t stop talking about how amazing Eren was and what activities she wanted to experience with Eren (building a snow fort and going sledding for example). It also didn’t help that Eren offered to be their personal tour guide again during their stay and described some of the cool places that he would show them.

Levi admitted that he was pretty excited himself. While he has seen snow on occasion during business trips, he hadn’t actually gone out and experienced the wonders of winter in a long while. And if Eren was going to be there with them, it was definitely something he looked forward to.

“Hello? Earth to short stack,” Hange called out for him.

“What now?”

“I asked what you got Eren for Christmas. Mikasa already told us what she got for Eren.”

“I got Eren something. And before you ask, yes I did get Eren’s parents some wine as thanks,” Levi said.

He can see the pout on Hange’s face but chose to ignore it. “How about you guys? Anything special this year?”

Farlan shook his head. “Besides the two of you gone, it’ll be the same as usual. Erwin and Mike are taking Armin with them to visit Erwin’s family and we here are going to binge watch some classic Christmas movies. Sucks that you aren’t here, though, who else is going to suffer with me once these two get shit face drunk and start singing carols?” Farlan said, ignoring the indignant “Hey!” from Isabel.

Levi smirked, “Hey, you guys were the ones who flew me here, so take responsibility.”

“We should go there next year,” Isabel suggested.

Hange clapped at her suggestion. “Oh, that’s a great idea. I would love to see the snow and see if I can find any wild fairy primroses. Did you know that the flowers cause a toxic reaction when you eat them? And they can also cause an allergic reaction when-”

“Okay, I think it’s time for us to go now,” Levi interrupted, not willing to stay up the whole night listening to them talk about plants again. “We have to get ready to leave in the morning.”

“Aww,” Isabel pouted. “Well, at least let us know how your stay goes. And I demand relationship progress report!”

“Good night, Izzy, Farlan, and four eyes,” Levi said. He shut off his laptop after Mikasa said goodbye and placed it away.

He lied down on the soft hotel bed and covered his eyes with an arm. Levi let out a breath of air as he moved his arm away to see a pair of black eyes staring at him. Mikasa situated herself on top of his torso and peered down.

Levi raised an eyebrow at her behavior. “What’s up, ‘Kasa?”

“Do you like Eren?” she asked in a low voice, almost like a whisper.

Levi felt himself starting to blush, wondering why she was bringing up this topic. “Yeah, I do, why?”

Mikasa shook her head. “I know you do, but do you like _like_ Eren?” she pressed.

_‘Ah, that’s what she meant,’_ he thought.

Combing her hair with his fingers, Levi replied, “I really do like Eren, Mikasa, but I’m not sure if it’s to that extent, at least, not yet anyway.” What he said was true to a degree. He was kind of hoping that after meeting Eren face to face, that his feelings for the brunet were only an obsession and nothing more. But the more that he spent time with the brunet, the more infatuated he was with him.

Levi let out a little sigh. It truly wasn’t fair that the brunet was even more perfect in real life than on screen. Eren was like a breath of fresh air; Levi felt calm around Eren but at the same time, jittery, when it comes to the pastel beauty. Levi also found himself clinging on to every word that leaves the brunet’s pretty lavender lips (Eren tried on different lipstick colors during their shopping trip and asked for Levi’s opinion on them. Even though every color looked great on him, Levi still favored the lavender). Eren’s carefree nature and bright smiles always made Levi bite down his own grin, and his fights with Jean (well, they were really arguments more than anything) were both amusing and exasperating to see. Nonetheless, Levi still enjoyed being there with Eren and his friends (even when the group almost caused a water fight in the mall’s large fountain).

It was also interesting to see everyone’s interaction with Mikasa. It was though she was already part of the group from the beginning by the way that they addressed her but they also remembered that she was still a child and censored themselves accordingly.

Levi could see himself being with their company again, and to be honest, Levi doesn’t know what to do about it. It wasn’t like him to get so attached to people so quickly, but something clicked in his mind that he really wanted to see not just Eren again, but everyone else too.

Thinking back to the prize he received in the store and the note, he knew that everyone (including Eren’s friends) was pushing him to get together with Eren, and Levi doesn’t know what to think about the situation. On one hand, he was annoyed by the obvious attempts, but on the other hand, he was flustered.

He _does_ want to start a romantic relationship with Eren, but he doesn’t know how to bring up the topic without freaking out the brunet. _‘I mean, what’s so great about me?’_ Levi bitterly thought. He doesn’t want to ruin the friendly relationship he already has with Eren.

Levi wanted to groan. Thinking about it sucks because not only his feelings on the line but Eren’s feelings as well.

He doesn’t know what to do.

Knowing that his internal debate was going nowhere, he filed it for later to think about as he returned his attention to his daughter. “Well, what about you, Mikasa? What do you think of Eren?”

Mikasa hummed patted his flushed cheeks. “I really like Eren too. Eren is super nice and sweet and smart and super pretty. And if you’re not going to marry Eren soon, then I will!” she declared.

Levi looked a bit surprised by her determined face, but let out a chuckle. “Well then, I guess your dad needs to win Eren’s heart before you do, hm?”

Mikasa blew a raspberry at him and laughed at his grimace as she got up to sit properly. “I dunno, Dad. I’m pretty cute and strong so I can protect Eren. I think would make a good wife.”

Levi suddenly had an image of an older Mikasa wearing a wedding dress, walking down the aisle with him holding her arm, and- nope. Not going there tonight.

He ruffled Mikasa’s hair as he moved to sit up. “All right, enough of that. We need to go to sleep now.”

Mikasa got off of Levi and went over to her bed. Grabbing her stuffie, she snuggled into the pillows as Levi tucked her in. Even though she was old enough to not be tucked in anymore, it was probably payback from the day before and that this was his way of spoiling her.

The girl mentally rolled her eyes, but let him spoil her as he liked – for now, anyway.

Because if all goes the way Mikasa wanted it to be, Eren would be the one getting spoiled by her dad in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just listen to the rhythm of my heart~♪
> 
> The second giveaway is over and the winners have been announced on my Tumblr [here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/127897328559/comh-giveaway-2-winners). Thank you all again for participating! :D


	25. Vlog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Great first impressions there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why can’t time go backwards instead of forwards? D; *screams about school starting soon*
> 
> In other news, there’s more wonderful fanart, cosplays, and even a gif! :D
> 
> ♥ The amazing sassy-pastel-eren decided to do a [gif of our Queen](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/128069024679/sassy-pastel-eren-my-cosplay-of-the-queen-from)!  
> ♥ Check out the artwork of [our two favourite YouTubers](http://figgie-draws.tumblr.com/post/127951569718/a-thing-i-did-for-cocoachouxs-amazing-fic-click) done by figgie-draws!  
> ♥ r5danisnotonfireauslly3 comes back with more drawings of our Queen, but wearing a [blue and pink wig](http://r5danisnotonfireauslly3.tumblr.com/post/128112714832/cocoachoux-sorry-about-the-coloring-im-trying)!  
> ♥ Oh, my heart can’t take the lovely artwork of [Mikasa and Levi](http://tomatofairyart.tumblr.com/post/127386676749/mikasa-and-levi-from-click-on-my-heart) by tomatofairyart!  
> ♥ And say hello to nekonamicosplay and her [Queen cosplay](http://nekonamicosplay.tumblr.com/post/128158614406/so-long-time-no-see-ive-been-super-dead-on)!

Levi scrunched his eyebrows as he felt someone shaking him.

“Levi? Levi, wake up,” a voice called out to him in a low voice.

The man answered with a groan, shifting in his seat as he tried to find a more comfortable position to continue sleeping.

“Dad, we’re here!” a different but familiar voice called out to him.

A second later, Levi felt a small hand patting the cheek that was not pressed up against the car seat. Grumbling, the man slowly opened his eyes, squinting as his vision was assaulted by the sun’s bright light.

“Ugh.”

“Good morning, Levi. Or should I say afternoon? We’re finally here,” Eren said.

Blinking a few times, Levi sat up properly and yawned. “Really? How long was I out for?”

“Ah, you fell asleep the moment we left the Big Apple, so about three hours,” Eren answered.

“Oh shit. Sorry about that.”

Eren shook his head, “Nah, don’t worry about it so much. Besides, Mikasa was awake to keep me company. Right, Mikasa?”

“Yeah! We talked about the cities Eren has traveled to and the adventures he had,” Mikasa said with a smile.

Levi nodded but was fighting back a pout when he realized that he missed three hours of talking with Eren.

_‘Oh well, we’re here now. There’ll be plenty of chances later,’_ Levi thought.

They got out of Eren’s car, shivering when a brisk winter breeze went by them and grabbed their luggage. Locking his car, Eren walked up the steps leading to the country-style house, leaving footprints as Levi noted that the snow hasn’t been shoveled yet.

“What are you doing?” Levi asked Eren.

The young adult shrugged as he switched the camera to video mode and faced it towards the door.

“I hope you don’t mind, I’ve been doing some vlog stuff here and there at the convention, but I also wanted to record my parents’ reaction when they see us,” Eren answered.

Levi nodded as he mentally braced himself for meeting Eren’s parents. Feeling a hand holding his, he looked down to see Mikasa giving him an encouraging nod.

Adjusting his grip on his phone, Eren tapped on the record button and rang the doorbell. The three raised an eyebrow as they heard something dropped on the floor and frantic footsteps. Levi and Mikasa blinked in surprise as the door opened and revealed a dishevelled-looking woman.

The woman let out a bright smile and reached over to hug Eren. “Eren! It’s so good to see you again. Who am I hugging today?”

Eren chuckled as he returned the hug. “Hi Mom, and you’re hugging your son right now, thank you for asking.”

Eren’s mom pulled back and brushed some of his bangs away. “Welcome back, sweetie,” she said with a fond look.

The brunet gave her a large grin as he gestured to the ravens behind him. “Mom, this is Levi and his daughter, Mikasa, the ones who I told you about earlier.”

“I’m Carla, Eren’s mother, it’s nice to meet you two,” she said as she shook Levi’s hand and waved to Mikasa.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Yeager. Thank you so much for letting us stay here for the holidays,” Levi greeted.

“Oh, it’s our pleasure. The house has been a little lonely lately, so we’re glad that you’re joining us,” she reassured. “Please, come in. You dears must be so cold.”

Carla stepped back and let the three inside, helping them place their heavy jackets into the closet. Looking at Mikasa, Carla asked, “Where did you get that scarf, Mikasa?”

“Eren gave it to me!” the little girl replied back in a proud voice.

“She was cold when I first met her and gave her the scarf you made for me,” Eren explained.

With that bit of new information, Mikasa pulled off the scarf from her neck. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know that your mom made this,” she said as she held the scarf back to Eren.

“No, no, Mikasa, I gave it to you, it’s totally fine,” Eren said.

“You can keep the scarf, Mikasa. I don’t mind it. Besides,” Carla said as she crouched to Mikasa’s level. “You look cuter in the scarf than Eren did anyway,” she whispered, giggling as Eren made an indignant sound.

Levi watched Carla and Eren talk to each other. _‘I see where Eren gets it from,’_ Levi thought. Even though he has seen Carla appear on Eren’s King channel from time to time, he can now clearly see the similarities.

Eren absolutely takes after his mom in terms of appearance. Even though their hair and eye colors were different, Eren has his mother’s facial features and facial expressions as Levi noted during their animated discussion about the trip home.

Removing his boots and placing them away neatly, Levi stood awkwardly at the doorway with Mikasa. Levi started to get self-conscious about his appearance since he wasn’t exactly ‘family-friendly.’

Carla finished her conversation with Eren and glanced at the two guests. Levi maintained eye contact with her as she took a proper look at him. “Oh my, you’re like the complete opposite of Eren.”

“Mom!”

“Not like it’s a bad thing of course,” Carla reassured.

“It’s alright, Mrs. Yeager,” Levi said in a nonchalant manner. But even though he said that he still fidgeted a little from her scrutiny.

Trying to divert his mom’s attention elsewhere, Eren looked around the house. Noticing it was a bit off than usual, he asked, “Is everything okay? The house looks a bit… different.”

The house wasn’t a complete mess; it was just a bit more cluttered and dusty than usual, he noted.

Carla sighed. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been pretty busy lately and didn’t have a chance to clean up before you arrived. I was just in the middle of cleaning the guest rooms before I heard the doorbell ring,” she explained. “If you give me a moment, I’ll have the guest ro-”

“Where?”

The woman blinked at Levi’s interruption. “Where what?”

“Please direct me to the guest rooms,” he said.

“But they’re not properly cleaned yet. Please give me a moment while I get it ready.”

Levi shook his head. “There’s no need. It’s fine,” he said with a glint in his eyes.

Noticing that her dad’s demeanor changed, she gave him a nervous look. “Dad?”

“C’mon Mikasa,” he said as he picked up their luggage and headed towards the staircase.

Realization dawned on Mikasa once she knew what he was going to do. “Dad, no,” she pleaded.

“Dad, yes,” he replied back as he walked up the stairs.

Mikasa let out an exasperated groan but followed him anyway.

“Uhh…” Eren let out, thoroughly confused with the situation.

“Eren, put that phone down and help them get settled. I’ll go prepare something to drink in the meantime,” Carla said as she walked to the kitchen.

Shrugging, Eren stopped the video recording and closed his phone. Going up the stairs, he heard some muffling before a distinct sound of a vacuum cleaner. Reaching the top of the stairs, he found the guest rooms’ doors opened. Peeking in one of them, he saw that Levi was donning a white headband and a handkerchief covering his face.

A little surprised by the sudden appearance, Eren glanced over to the bed where Mikasa sat on, grumbling and covering her face as she did so. “What’s going on here?” Eren dared to ask.

“Eren, make him stop! He’s in his ‘mode’,” Mikasa replied.

“What do you mean by, ‘mode’?” Eren asked as he shuffled towards the bed as Levi vacuumed the area where Eren just stood.

Mikasa groaned, “He’s in his ‘cleaning mode’ and won’t stop until everything’s clean!”

“That’s nice of him to do that. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind if we cleaned the house a bit,” Eren said with a smile.

“Eren, you don’t understand,” she said as she grabbed his hands. “He is going to clean _everything!_ And he has high standards too. It’s going to be horrible.”

“Oh, c’mon, it can’t be that bad,” Eren tried to reassure her.

“ _Mikasa Ackerman_ , come help me clean up,” Levi said as he moved out to the hallway.

“Nooo…” she pouted at the use of her full name but got off the bed to grab something from her suitcase anyways. She pulled out an identical set of the bandana and handkerchief Levi was wearing and tied it around her face, grumbling as she did so.

Turning to face Eren, she asked, “Where is the duster?”

“Oh, uh, follow me,” Eren said as he left the room with Mikasa following right behind. “I’ll help out once I switch into something more comfortable, okay?” he said as he gestured to the storage closet.

Mikasa nodded but gave him a serious look. “Only if you’re completely sure, Eren. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Eren chuckled as he patted her head, messing with the placement of the headband a little bit. “It’ll be fun, Mikasa!”

“Final last words.”

* * *

Grisha let out a relieved sigh as he turned into the street where his house was. It was a long day at the hospital and he was happy that he finally got to go home (even though he was still on on-call). Approaching the house, he smiled when he saw Eren’s car in the driveway. _‘That’s right, Eren is back,’_ he thought.

Pulling up in the driveway, Grisha parked the car and got out. Locking the car, he walked towards a house but noticed an unfamiliar person shoveling the front entrance. _‘Definitely not Eren,’_ Grisha observed. He was wearing one of those fancy down feather jackets, black hair, and skin that could blend in with the snow around him.

The aforementioned unknown person realized there was another person near him and lifted his head. The two made eye contact and there was a beat of silence. The unknown man nodded his head in acknowledgment and Grisha did the same. Moving around him, Grisha walked up the noticeably clean and shoveled entryway and walked into the house.

“Carla?” he called for her as he put away his jacket and untying his boots. He heard some footsteps and saw his wife appear from the kitchen.

“Yes, honey?” she replied. When Grisha tilted his head, she gave him a chaste kiss.

“Not to alarm you or anything, but there’s a man outside our house shoveling.”

“Indeed there is," she said.

“Want to explain why?” he pressed.

“Oh, do you remember the family that was supposed to come here with Eren? The ones I told you about?” At his nod, she continued, “Well, they came over but the house wasn’t clean yet, and Levi, the man you just met, decided to be a dear and help clean,” she explained.

Grisha blinked but nodded anyways. “I see.”

“Why don’t you take a shower or something? Dinner will be ready soon,” she said as she headed back to the kitchen.

Taking Carla’s advice, he walked up the stairs to go change.

What he didn’t expect was a pair of black eyes coming from a little girl staring at him.

The girl was holding a basket full of laundry and was standing in the middle of the hallway. The two stared at each other for a moment before she nodded at him in acknowledgment before going into one of the guest rooms.

Shaking his head, Grisha went into his and Carla’s room to find some clothes.

“Dad! You’re home!” a familiar voice called out.

Turning around, Grisha smiled as he went over to hug Eren. “It’s good to see you again, Eren. Who am I holding? My son, daughter, or child?”

Eren laughed as he returned the hug. “It’s good to see you too. And you’re hugging your son right now.”

Letting go of Eren, Grisha noted that he was wearing a headband and a handkerchief dangling around his neck, similar to the girl before. “So, guests?”

Eren let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. “I guess you met Levi and Mikasa already, eh?”

“Not formally, but yes, I’ve met them. They’re quite… interesting,” he said.

“They’re very sweet once you talk to them. Levi just has a penchant for cleanliness,” Eren explained.

“I see. Have you been making videos lately?”

“I’ve been making a lot of vlog content lately. I just need to import the clips and edit them. I even recorded Mom’s reaction when she saw us. Though, I think she might ask me to take it out. I’ll ask her later.”

Grisha nodded. “That sounds good. Why don’t you ask her now? She's in the kitchen making dinner. You can help her set the table,” he suggested.

“Okay. I’ll see you later,” Eren said as he rushed out of the bedroom.

Shaking his head fondly at his son’s actions, he went over to the dresser and pulled the top drawer out.

“Now where did I put my shirt?” he mumbled to himself.

He felt a slight tug from his pants and he looked down to see the girl again. She handed him a pile of folded shirts. “Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you. Mikasa, right?” he asked as he gently took the clothes from her.

She nodded and gave him a small smile before leaving the room.

Grisha watched her leave the room with the basket (with fewer clothes, Grisha noted) and then looked down to the clean and precision-folded shirts in his hands.

_‘This household will sure be interesting for the next couple of days.’_


	26. Full-Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An even more interesting proposal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, I have the best readers! (♥ω♥ ) ~♪
> 
> ♥ I’ve been patiently waiting for this lovely [fanart of our Queen](http://thesadisticsiren.tumblr.com/post/128236645221/this-is-my-drawing-of-gender-fluid-pastel-eren) by thesadisticsiren and I’m so happy to see it done!  
> ♥ jaegergoat comes back with more amazing [cosplay of Eren](http://jaegergoat.tumblr.com/post/128353405923/the-queen-needs-an-adorable-scarf-c-for)!  
> ♥ And check out redrawsomething‘s redraw of the infamous Eren screenshot but with [pastel!Eren](http://redrawsomething.tumblr.com/post/128399379556/for-cocoachoux) instead! (I still say that it needs to be canon ;P)

The first thing Grisha noticed as he walked into the kitchen was that everything was clean – and not just guests-are-coming-over clean, but industrial-and-hospital-sterile clean.

Standing awkwardly in the doorway, he removed his glasses to wipe them. Putting them back on and yup, the kitchen was sparkling.

Grisha wanted to see if he could see his reflection on the counters but felt a familiar tugging of his pants. Looking down, he saw the small child again. “Mr. Yeager, everything is ready,” she said as she played with the ends of her red scarf.

Nodding, he followed her to the dining room where the table was set up and the delicious smell of food made Grisha’s stomach growl loudly. Carla laughed as she went over to him and pecked his cheek. “Come and sit down so we can start eating. I would love to know our guests for the next couple of days as we do.”

His stomach agrees with the idea as it let out another sound. Eren laughed at his dad’s embarrassed face and the two Ackermans were trying to be polite but let out small smiles anyway. Shaking his head, he moved to one end of the table and Carla sat at the other.

_‘This is nice,’_ Grisha thought. It has been since Thanksgiving for the house to be livelier than usual. Work has increased recently since a lot of staff members took time off around this time of year. And although he knew that Carla could manage on her own, it was comforting to know that there was another presence home.

The food was distributed and Grisha tried to eat as calmly as possible in front of the guests. He himself didn’t talk that much, but he enjoyed listening in to his wife and son. Most of the dinner conversations were of Carla asking Levi and Mikasa questions. Where did they come from, what the weather was like there, why did they come to Canada for vacation, and so forth.

“Oh, so you’re a YouTuber as well, Levi?” Carla asked.

Levi nodded. “Yes. My YouTube channel involves me playing video games, making guides, and commenting on them.” Levi wanted to smack himself for the super brief and underwhelming description of his job. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of being a gamer per se, but it wasn’t exactly a job that parents would see a bright future in.

Surprising Levi, Carla smiled and said, “That sounds interesting. Do you mind telling me how many subscribers you have?”

“Almost 6 million, Mrs. Yeager,” Levi replied after recovering from the shock of her easy acceptance of what he does for a living.

Grisha blinked as Carla raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, you must be very popular then! Do you do it full-time?”

Levi nodded, trying not to get flustered from the attention. “I do. I’m very fortunate for having a loyal following. It allows me to be to be at home and give the attention Mikasa needs.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m glad that it worked out for you,” Carla said with a smile.

Again, Levi nodded and continued eating his food, trying to will down the blush on his face. Eren really does take after his mother.

“How about you, Mikasa? What do you want to do when you grow up?” Carla asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know yet. I think I want to be an astronaut or a teacher,” she replied.

Grisha chuckled. “Well then, you must work hard to get good grades.”

Mikasa nodded as she set down her fork on her empty plate. “But I might be a YouTuber like Dad.”

Levi’s heart swelled when he heard that his daughter wanted to be in the same profession as him.

“Oh, you would be great, Mikasa! I’ve seen her play and she’s a natural gamer,” Eren complimented.

Levi nodded in agreement as he remembered the booths at the convention that let attendees try out new games. While Levi was talking to some of the game developers, Eren and his friends took turns playing against Mikasa as she defeated all of them. It was quite comical to see Eren, Jean, and Connie get riled up as they try to win against her but failing.

Finishing his plate, Grisha looked over to Eren and asked, “Speaking of which, Eren, have you decided on what to do after you graduate?”

Eren let out a deep sigh as he played around with the bit of food left on the plate with a fork. “To some extent, yeah. I know I said I’ll be a full-time YouTuber after graduation, but I don’t know how long it will last considering my channel requires me to be inspired enough to make a video.”

Noticing her son’s mood change, Carla placed a hand over his and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Eren, you’re still young. You’re more than welcome to stay home as long as you like until you figure something out.”

Eren looked at his mom and nodded. “Thanks, Mom,” he said with a bright smile.

“Wait,” Levi interrupted the scene before him, “You’re becoming a full-time YouTuber?” That was the first he heard about it. He knew some of the future video projects Eren had planned but didn’t think that he would pursue being a full-time YouTuber as well.

Eren nodded. “Yeah, for now anyway. I’m not sure if it’s something that will last, but it’s what I want to do now.”

“What are some of your concerns you have?”

Eren tilted his head as he looked at the man in front of him “I guess inspiration is a huge part. And I also want to do some meet and greets here and there, but the majority of my fans are from the States, so I don’t know how often I can do it without disrupting a number of videos I’ll release.”

Levi nodded as he listened to Eren. He tried to think of what to say to reassure Eren of becoming a full-time YouTuber.

After a bit of deliberation, Levi thought of one solution but bit his lips in hesitation. _‘Should I?’_ he thought.

But, as Eren continued to list more of his worries (such as sponsors and advertisements on his channels), Levi decided, _‘Fuck it,’_ and lifted his hand to interrupt. “How about moving to L.A.? You can meet a lot of the YouTubers there and do collaborations if you’d like. You have a large fanbase in the west coast and the YT headquarters is within driving distance so there are more opportunities for other videos. And the change of scenery can help you keep being inspired.”

Eren stopped his rambling and looked at Levi. There was a slight pause before Eren bestowed him with the biggest smile he has ever seen. “That’s a great idea, Levi! Why didn’t I think of it before? I would love to do more video collaborations with the other beauty gurus since most of them live there. And I can get involved with those YouTube production companies as well by being a make-up artist.” Eren was practically bouncing on his seat as he continued talking about the other possible opportunities by moving to L.A.

Levi smiled as he looked at the happy brunet in front of him, happy that he helped in some way.

“But wait,” Eren stopped his movements as his father interrupted, “Eren, you will have to look for a place to stay. And it’s not going to be easy since the city has a huge population and I’m assuming that the nicer areas are costly.”

Eren visibly deflated. That was true; it won’t be easy to move to another country especially into a big city like L.A. There would be housing issues and lots of paperwork involved if he would be working in the country as well.

“How about Eren moves in with us?”

The whole table shifted their attention to Mikasa. “I’m sure Dad won’t mind it, right?” she asked Levi.

Blinking a few times, Levi looked at her. Her eyes practically pleaded him to say yes and that if he said no, she promised to make his life a living hell.

After their silent conversation, Levi returned his attention to the shocked brunet in front of him. “We actually have a spare bedroom that no one uses. So if you like, you can move in with us anytime if you want to of course.”

Before Levi could finish his sentence, he felt his chair get pulled back before being enveloped in warmth. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Eren said right next to his ear.

Even though the position was awkward as hell, Levi was glad he was sitting down since he was sure his knees gave out on him as he melted from the hug.

Too short for Levi’s liking, Eren let go to turn around to hug Mikasa.

Well, _that_ was a nice view of Eren’s backside.

Levi didn’t have enough time to appreciate it long enough before Grisha coughed to get their attention. “Are you sure, Levi? That is a very generous offer from you.”

“I’m sure, Mr. Yeager,” Levi reassured, “We can discuss and work out the living arrangement later. And it would be great for me because Eren could help out with the new YouTube channel that primarily targets children and families if he wants to of course. It’s an idea that I’ve had for ages and would like to have it take off soon.”

“Wait, really?” Eren asked, still hugging Mikasa since she doesn’t seem to want to let go.

Levi nodded. “Positive. There needs to be adult supervision as the kids play and you would seem to be a better fit than me or some of my friends if you’re up for it.”

Mikasa let out an excited gasp. “Please, Eren? I would love to play more games with you! And you get to meet my friends too!”

Eren smiled at her hopeful look. “With that face, how can I possibly say no? Of course I would love to play more with you.”

It was Mikasa’s turn to bounce on her seat. She began talking with Eren about all the different games she planned to do videos of and her friends. Levi looked at the two fondly as they had their animated conversation.

They seemed to have forgotten where they were and the two older Yeagers as they watched the three with amusement.

_‘Hmm…’_ Carla thought as she looked at Levi’s face. His cheeks were slightly pink and he let out a small smile as he looked at Eren and Mikasa. And even though she didn’t know him for too long, she knew the look of a man in love.

Looking across from her, she met her husband’s gaze and gestured him to look at Levi. She giggled and winked at his startled expression as she got up to clean up.

The next few days will be interesting indeed.


	27. Hangout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the younger ones to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! My heart can't handle the amount of love and support this fic has! ;w; Please check out the amazing stuff done by even more amazing people:
> 
> ♥ My wonderful ladycarathis blessed me with more [pastel!Eren](http://ladycarathis.tumblr.com/post/128432553253/woop-another-pastel-eren-inspired-by-cocoachoux)! I mean, just look at him!!  
> ♥ Eren is totally [modelling](http://felicigra.tumblr.com/post/128434198433/drawing-of-pastelgenderfluideren-for-my-fanfic) for the online store. ;D Thank you felicigra!  
> ♥ littlefrostie is giving Eren their [rightful crown](http://littlefrostie.tumblr.com/post/128526551992/doodled-the-genderfluid-bb-from-click-on-m)!  
> ♥ Were you at Afest? Then it’s possible that you might’ve seen haruka-hourou‘s [QueenPastelEren cosplay](http://haruka-hourou.tumblr.com/post/128416853707)!  
> ♥And eternally-pre-occupied has been spoiling me! [pastel!angel!Eren](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/128574061299/some-more-horribly-drawn-fan-art-for-cocoachoux), the [Corporal's salute](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/128574827459/more-pastel-eren-for-cocoachoux-this-one-was), adorable [penguin Eren](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/128575560389/annnnnnddd-yet-another-tribute-to-cocoachouxhoux-s), and a [Queen Eren](http://eternally-pre-occupied.tumblr.com/post/128575905649/i-tried-to-cosplay-pastel-eren-more-or-less)! Thank you so so much m’dear!

Armin looked up when he heard his cellphone ringtone. Putting down his book, he unlocked his phone to see that he received a text message from Mikasa:

**Mikasa** (5:53 PM)  
_Hey Armin! Go online and join us! :)_

Smiling, he pocketed his phone and made his way upstairs to his room and shut the door. He sat down at his computer desk and moved his mouse around for the screen to show up. After he signed in, he flipped open his webcam and joined the chat.

It took few moments until he saw Mikasa and Annie appear on the screen with smiles on their faces.

“Hi Armin!” the two greeted.

Armin smiled at the two. “Hi Annie, hi Mikasa. How are you two doing?”

“Fine. Dad ordered takeout and I feel really full right now,” Annie answered.

The blond let out a small chuckle. “Papa made some meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. It was delicious! And how about you, Mikasa? You said you were going to Eren’s parent’s house today. How did that go?”

“It was great! On our way to Eren’s house, we stopped by this place called the Big Apple and it was this gigantic apple structure, and it had so many pastries! The apple crumble was delicious and we bought some apple pie. Though Dad went to sleep the moment we left there, but Eren and I talked about his traveling adventures and other stuff. And when we got there, Dad went into cleaning mode and we cleaned up the whole house,” Mikasa paused as she heard Armin and Annie laughing in the background. They know all too well of her dad’s ‘mode.’

“But Mrs. Yeager is super nice and pretty! Eren is just like her and she also reminds me of Grand-mère. I bet they would be good friends. And Mr. Yeager doesn’t talk that much but he’s nice. And he’s a doctor so he must be super smart.

“And Armin, Annie, get this! During dinner, they talked about what Eren will do after he graduates and he said that he wanted to start making videos full-time. But he was worried about whether or not if he can do it for long and Dad suggested moving to L.A. and I said that Eren should live with us and Dad agreed! So now Eren will be living with us so he can work as a full-time YouTuber!” Mikasa exclaimed.

Annie and Armin could practically feel Mikasa’s excitement from their side based on her animated speech and her wide grin. It was probably the first that the two have ever seen her _this_ happy and excited. She was practically jumping on her seat as she was telling them what happened during dinner.

Armin clapped his hands. “That’s amazing, Mikasa! I’m so happy for you and Uncle Levi! I bet he was blushing during dinner, right?”

Mikasa giggled. “Yup! And I think Mrs. Yeager noticed it too.”

Annie smirked as she commented, “Well, your Dad doesn’t hide it well when it comes to Eren. Are you sure he’ll be okay once Eren is living with you two?”

Mikasa waved her hand back in forth but her smile was still present. “It’ll be fine, Annie. I’m sure Dad will live. Hopefully, by Eren moving in with us, he’ll finally ask Eren out or something.”

“Speaking of which,” Armin said, “How are the two so far? Any progress?”

She sighed. “A little. I told you about the CN Tower experience and the shopping trip. I even asked Dad about how he feels about Eren and he said that he really likes him, but wasn’t sure if he loves him. Argh! He’s so dumb! I know that he loves Eren because of how he looks at him and he also smiles more when Eren is around,” Mikasa said with a huff.

“Ah, it’s okay Mikasa. Papa said that love can be scary if you don’t know how the other person feels about you,” Armin assured her.

Annie nodded in agreement. “My dad said the same thing too. How about Eren then? Does Eren like your dad too?”

Mikasa visibly slumped in her seat and played with her scarf. “I think he does. Eren smiles and laughs at Dad’s bad jokes and they talk a lot. Sometimes I see Eren blushing with Dad around him and Eren also initiates-?” she looked at the camera to silently ask Armin if she used the word correctly. When Armin nodded, she continued, “And Eren also initiates conversations with Dad, so I think Eren wants to spend more time with him. Ahh! This is too confusing. They should get married already.”

Armin laughed and Annie chuckled as they watched her cover her face with her hands in frustration.

“Aw, cheer up Mikasa! With Eren moving in, I’m sure there will be more opportunities for your dad to do something about it,” Armin said.

“And we’ll help if they’re still being stupid around each other,” Annie suggested.

Mikasa put down her hands and smiled. “Thank you, Armin, Annie. This is why you two are my best friends,” she said. The two blonds faintly blushed at the commented and returned the smile with their own. “Anyway,” Mikasa continued, “Anything new?”

The three talked to each other for the next little while. Mikasa learned that Annie would be taking karate classes after the New Year and that Armin will be joining a reading club at the community center. Mikasa felt a little homesick as she talked with her friends, but she knew that she would be seeing the two soon. For now, she would enjoy her time with her dad and Eren and try her best to get the two closer.

Armin was in the middle of telling the girls what he was going to do when he goes visit his grandparents for Christmas when Mikasa heard knocking on the door.

Turning around, she saw the doorknob slowly turn before the door opened to reveal Eren’s face. “Hey, is everything alright?” he asked.

“Eren! Come meet my friends!” Mikasa gestured for the pastel boy to come say hello.

Eren smiled as he walked into his room (Mikasa was using his computer) and went over to the computer desk. Leaning down a bit, he smiled as he was in the camera’s view. “Hello there.”

Armin and Annie gasped as they saw who appeared on the screen. “Hi, Eren! I’m Armin, Mikasa’s friend. I’ve watched a lot of your videos with my parents,” Armin introduced himself, a little frazzled by the brunet’s sudden appearance.

“Hello, Armin, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve seen you appear in Levi’s livestream a few times before with your parents. You’re a really bright kid.”

Armin squawked at the compliment and thanked him as he looked down to hide his pink face.

Eren chuckled as he continued, “And I’m assuming you’re Annie, correct? Mikasa has told me nothing but good things about you.”

Annie nodded and let out a small smile. “Yes, I’m Annie. It’s nice to meet you, Eren. I have shown my parents your videos a few weeks ago and now they can braid my hair nicely now,” she said as she turned her head to show off the simple fishtail braid.

Eren let out a low whistle. “Wow! Tell them that they did a great job and that I’m glad my tutorial helped.”

“Oh right. Armin, Annie! Eren will be joining us for our gaming channel!” Mikasa added.

“Really?” the blonds asked at the same time.

“Yup. Gotta finalize everything with Levi first and it may take some time, but I hope you two don’t mind,” Eren said.

“Of course not! We would love to have you play with us!” Armin exclaimed with Annie nodding in agreement.

Eren chuckled. “You two are very sweet. However, it’s almost 10 PM here and Mikasa has to go to sleep. We should talk another time, okay?”

The kids agreed and said their good nights to each other and logged off.

Armin rubbed his eyes from staring at the screen for too long. “I might need glasses,” he murmured.

With a sigh, he looked up at the ceiling, debating on whether to continue reading his book earlier or surfing the net before he heard a knock at the door. “Come in.”

The door opened and his dad stepped into the room. “Did you have a nice chat with Annie and Mikasa?”

“Mhm,” the little boy hummed. “Mikasa met Eren’s parents.”

“Oh?” Mike walked over to the bed and sat on it, the mattress dipping as it adjusted to his weight. “And how did that go?”

“Well, you know how Uncle Levi is. He started cleaning the moment he got there.”

Mike let out a bark of laughter, loud enough for Erwin to peek in to see what was going on. “What’s this? A slumber party and I wasn’t invited?” Still, he warmly smiled and walked over to where Mike was and sat next to him, the bed making a sound of protest from the additional body.

Armin wondered if his small bed was able to hold up the weight of his parents as he shook his head and smiled. “I just told Daddy that Uncle Levi went into cleaning mode when he got to Eren’s house.”

Erwin smirked. “For Levi, that’s his way of making a good impression. Hopefully he behaved himself during dinner.”

“I don’t know about that, but get this! Mikasa said that Eren is moving to L.A. as a full-time YouTuber and that Eren will be moving in with them!” Armin said with a huge smile.

The little blond laughed as he saw his parents’ surprised faces.

Getting over his shock, Erwin shook his head. “I’m willing to bet that Mikasa had something to do with that decision. There’s no way that Levi would be that forward with Eren.”

“What’s done is done. But you do know what this means, right? We have more ways to tease Levi and try to set the two together if Eren is actually here,” Mike said.

Erwin nodded in agreement. “Levi’s heart is not going to be able to handle having Eren in the same house as him for long. He’ll crack soon enough.”

Mike just smirked as he took out his cellphone. “I wonder if Hange and Isabel caught wind of this yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You better be glad that you’re in another country right now Levi (though, you better turn off your phone for the time being).
> 
> Oh yes, if you like kpop and like ereri and want both together, please check out the [one-shot](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4738718) that I did! :D


	28. Mario Kart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A+ on parenting, Carla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **IMPORTANT NEWS!** I have started school again, which means my updates will be slower. How much slower? Well, I’ll only be posting once a week now. :( I’m really sorry, but school work takes priority, but I’ll still be posting new chapters!
> 
> When? I’ll be posting a new chapter every **Saturday at 18:00 EST** , but not including tomorrow. In other words, starting from **September 19th** and every Saturday, I’ll update. I may update more than once a week, but it highly depends on my weekly course workload. (I already have group assignments already, seriously?!)
> 
> But! I’ll be able to answer any questions you may have and write short prompts from time to time. :)
> 
> Thank you for understanding and continuing to support COMH! (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )♥

_“We are going to be seeing some heavy snowfall this afternoon and a low of minus 30 de-”_

“Nuh uh, nope. Not going out today,” Eren commented as he changed the channel.

Mikasa let out a little whine from the edge of the couch. “We’re not?”

Eren shook his head. “Sorry, Mikasa, it looks like we’ll have to postpone our outing another time. I really don’t want any of us to get sick and I don’t trust the road conditions either,” he tried to explain to the pouting 10-year-old.

Levi lifted his head slightly to glance at his daughter. “Eren’s right, Mikasa. It can be dangerous outside and I don’t want you to get frostbite. Besides, we’re going to be here for the next several days so there are other chances for us to go out another time,” Levi reasoned.

“Fiiiiine,” she drawled out.

Levi huffed at her behavior. The weather was beyond his control so what could he do about it? Mikasa wasn’t the only one who was excited to go out (though, he was a bit more discreet about it), but he didn’t want to brace the harsh winter winds and the snow along with it.

“What shall we do now?” Eren asked.

Carla looked up from her knitting to see their glum faces. “Hmm… I have an idea of what we can do!” she said in a cheery voice. She gently placed away her knitting needles and yarn and stood up to walk towards the kitchen. “Follow me.”

Eren and Mikasa looked at each other with confused looks before shrugging. They both got off the couch to follow Carla into the kitchen. Eren stopped just before he left the living room and turned his head to look at Levi who was still sitting on the armchair tapping away on his phone. “Levi? You coming?”

“In a bit, I have to finish this email,” Levi said.

Eren nodded as he left. Levi sighed as he stared at the message he wrote before erasing it and starting over again. “Damn these stupid business emails that require me to be professional. I’m a gamer dammit,” Levi mumbled to himself.

It was probably another 10 minutes until he was satisfied with what he wrote before tapping on the send button. Getting up to stretch, he walked towards the kitchen with a yawn-

-only to cough at the sight before him.

Eren had his back towards Levi, but the man knew that Eren was wearing a [ruffled apron](http://www.fasteasybread.com/images/Apron/Pink_Polka_Dot_Ruffle_Apron.jpg) from where he was standing. It was pink with white polka dots that framed Eren's body oh so very nicely. The pink garment was tied around the brunet’s waist in a perfectly done bow that was situated right above Eren’s butt.

_‘I would like to thank any higher beings that exist out there for letting me be in the presence of this angel,’_ Levi thought. He would be perfectly content staring at the brunet’s backside for the rest of his life.

But Levi quickly retracted his thoughts when Eren turned around to find the source of the sound. “Ah, Levi! Come join us,” Eren said with a smile.

The older man wanted to groan. He couldn’t decide which view he liked better, the back or the front.

_‘Both, always both,’_ was his thought as he made his way over to the kitchen island and sat on the barstool.

“Dad, we’re making gingerbread cookies!” Mikasa said with a large smile. She was wearing a purple apron that looked similar to Eren’s, but it had a cupcake appliqué pocket. Even though she looked adorable in it, Levi wondered if it was Eren’s apron at one point.

“Oh?” Levi let himself to smile at her enthusiasm.

Carla chuckled. “I thought baking would be a great way to pass the time. Have you ever made gingerbread cookies before, Mikasa?”

The little girl shook her head. “No, Mom wasn’t much of a baker, same with Father, but I do like gingerbread!”

The woman looked a little confused by her wording but decided to let it slide. “Well then, you’re in for a real treat today. We’re going to make the dough and then cut them into different shapes and we can even make a gingerbread house. How does that sound?”

Mikasa’s eyes lit up and let out a big smile. “I would love that Mrs. Yeager!”

Carla chuckled again as she opened one of the drawers to take out a [cherry printed apron](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b4/a5/9f/b4a59f65671971e074b63aa4e1a0c479.jpg).

“Oh.”

Levi didn’t even realize that he said that out loud until the woman turned to look at him with her head titled.

“Hm? What is it dear?”

He just shook his head. “Sorry, it’s nothing. It’s just that my maman has the same apron but in black,” he explained with a warm look, starting to remember his days as a kid.

Carla smiled as she saw his expression change. “I’m guessing you have fond memories then?” she asked as she tied the apron around her.

Levi nodded as he dug around his pocket to take out his phone. “I would always watch Maman cook, but she would always shoo me away from getting too close to the knives and the stove,” he said as he started swiping through his phone.

The brunette woman laughed. “That’s what I did to Eren as well, but he always managed to worm his way through the kitchen. Eventually, I gave up and let him help me chop the vegetables, with intense supervision of course.”

“Hey! I think did really well as a kid!”

Levi chuckled in amusement before turning his phone to show Carla the screen. “This is my maman. You remind me so much of her.”

Eren took the phone first to take a look. “Oh wow. She’s beautiful! You look just like her, Levi.”

Levi flushed at the comment. “Thanks, I get that a lot.”

The brunet snorted as he passed the phone to his mom. “I hear ya.”

Levi nodded. “Yeah, she’s-”

“Marvelous.”

The two blinked as they looked over to Carla who was now holding the phone. “She’s absolutely stunning. Levi! Why didn’t you tell me your mother was this gorgeous? I bet she was a model,” she complimented, still looking at the photo.

“Uh…” Levi didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Mom!” Eren snatched the phone away from her hands and gave it back to Levi. “Mom, don’t even start,” Eren warned.

Carla hmphed as she crossed her arms. “What? Can’t a woman appreciate another woman’s appearance?”

“Mom, your definition of ‘appreciation’ is different,” Eren sighed.

“Can we make the gingerbread cookies now?” Mikasa asked.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. Come now, we should tie your hair first before we begin,” Carla said.

Levi mentally thanked his daughter for the distraction. He had an inkling of an idea what Eren and Carla were talking about, but decided to ignore it for the time being. _‘I guess Maman’s still got it.’_

Eren let out a huge sigh of relief from the change in conversation as he moved over to where Mikasa was. Levi watched in amazement as the two Yeagers worked together to created two, identical braided buns on top of Mikasa’s head. “Wow, that’s impressive,” he complimented.

“Thanks! Oh! I need to take a selfie! Hold on for a second.” Eren took out his phone from the pocket of his apron and moved so he was right with his mom and Mikasa. “Ready? One, two, three!”

The phone made a sound and Eren swiped to take a look at the picture. “This is great! Hey, do you mind if I post this?” he asked, passing his phone to Mikasa.

“Sure! I really like it,” Mikasa said.

“You know you always have my permission sweetie. Ah, but this is a really cute photo,” Carla said with a smile.

“Here, Dad. You’re in the picture too,” Mikasa said as she handed the phone to Levi.

“I am?” Levi raised an eyebrow at her before looking at the picture. He looked at it for a moment, wondering where he was. But after looking more closely and yup, that was him alright. Right there in the corner with a smirk on his face.

Levi shook his head with a small smile as he gave the phone back to Eren. “Go ahead and post it. It’s nice.”

Eren smiled at the man’s approval as he reached over to take back the phone. His fingers brushed over Levi’s for a brief moment, and the two simultaneously flushed and looked away, not knowing that Carla was watching their exchange with an amused look on her face.

Fiddling with his phone to distract himself, Eren posted the photo and then shut off his phone. “Alright, done. Now, let’s bake some cookies!”

* * *

“MIKASA! How could you?! I thought we were friends!” Eren yelled.

“There’s no such thing as friendship in _Mario Kart_ , Eren,” Mikasa replied with a laugh, passing Princess Peach after hitting Eren with a red shell.

About six dozen baked gingerbread cookies and a kitchen cleanup later, they gathered into the living room before preparing for dinner. Mikasa had asked if Eren had any games to play, in which the brunet sheepishly answered that they had a Wii console. He explained that originally, it was bought for Grisha to do the Fit training for exercise, but there were a handful of other games they also owned. To Levi’s surprise, Eren had a few _Mario_ games.

“For when Jean and Connie were over,” he explained.

One game console set-up later and they were seated around the TV, controllers in their hands. Even Carla asked if she could join, saying that it has been a while since she last played. Levi and Mikasa nodded, but Eren gave his mom an uneasy look as she cheerfully sat down next to him.

It was only the first track of the first round, but Levi remained silent as he cruised his way towards the finish line. One more turn and Toad would secure first place.

Carla smirked as she pressed the Z button.

He was a few seconds away from crossing the line, but Levi watched in horror as his Wii remote sounded off and the blue shell appeared on his screen and blasted Toad off the ground, losing his first place position as Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, and Rosalina passed through Toad and crossed the finish line.

“WHAT THE FUCK?! WHO DID THAT?” Levi yelled as he smashed the button to make Toad move faster.

Levi didn’t even realize what he said until Toad made it through the finish line with 4th place, frozen in place.

The whole room went silent as Levi slowly turned to look at Carla. He was about to profusely apologize but she started laughing before he had the chance to.

Regaining her composure, she looked at him with mirth. “Levi dear, don’t look so worried! After raising Eren and his friends for so long, nothing will offend me,” she reassured with a wink.

Levi let out the breath he was holding in. “Sorry about that, Mrs. Yeager.”

“Oh please, just Carla is fine. I already consider you family at this point.”

The man looked startled by that. “But you barely even know me.”

“I know enough,” she said. Carla leaned over to Levi and said in a low voice, “And I know how you feel about Eren.” Levi’s eyes widened as he whipped his head to see if Eren heard.

Thankfully enough, the brunet was talking with Mikasa about some of the hairstyles he wanted to do for her. Levi’s heart clenched when he saw Eren laughing at something Mikasa said and trying to hide his smile with his hand.

He heard a giggle beside him and flushed when he saw Carla’s knowing look. “I can tell by the smiles that appear on your face when Eren is near and also the look in your eyes. Call it a mother’s intuition, but you see Eren like he’s the clear skies after a storm and the reason why the moon glows brightly in the dark night. You love and accept who Eren is completely and that’s more than enough for me.”

Levi gaped at her. He felt his heart pound faster the more he thought about the truth in her words. He didn’t even realize that his right hand moved to clutch the left side of his chest, right over his heart. His eyes wandered over again to where Eren and Mikasa was, and as strange as it was, he felt lighter as he saw the two together. Flushing again, he looked away and stared at the carpet, trying to calm himself down.

Carla gently smiled as she watched Levi’s actions. _‘He really does love Eren.’_

Feeling like someone was watching them, she glanced over to where Eren was. He was staring at the two, but mostly at Levi. His eyebrows scrunched up and he looked worried, wondering what they were talking about and why Levi was clutching his chest like that.

She chuckled when her son realized he got caught staring and excused himself, taking Mikasa along with him to grab some drinks. _‘Oh, Grisha is going to be devastated when he hears that his precious Eren has been swept away.’_

Carla placed her hand over Levi’s to make him look at her. “Just promise me to take care of Eren when he’s in L.A., okay? He’s usually optimistic and hard-headed, but there are times when he needs someone to be there to support him. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Levi’s expression shifted into determination as he looked at Carla right in the eyes and said, “You have my word, Carla. I’ll do everything I can to be there for Eren and supporting him.”

The woman smiled as she pulled him into a hug. “Thank you, Levi.” She almost let out a bark of laughter when she felt him stiffening from the unexpected contact and awkwardly hugging back. Something about this situation reminded her back when she first started dating Grisha and that made her feel more reassured about the future.

They pulled away when they heard footsteps coming into the room. Eren and Mikasa appeared at the entryway with drinks in the hands. “Can we continue now?” Mikasa asked as she placed the drinks on the coffee table.

“Yes. And since you won that race, you can pick the next track we play,” Carla said.

“Rainbow Road!” Mikasa exclaimed.

Eren laughed at Levi’s frustrated groan as he bent down to whisper to his mom. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, sweetie, everything is more than okay.”

Nodding at his mom's smile, he made his way back to his seat and sipped on his drink as Mikasa clicked on the infamous race track.

It was almost near the end of the round that Carla decided to speak up.

“Ah yes. Levi, you must give me your mother’s email address later. I would love to hit her up.”

“MOM!”

The woman just laughed as she saw Princess Peach and Toad drive off their track and falling down to the Earth below before it faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah right, if you're curious, Levi is wearing [this](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/128728951999/if-you-dont-mind-answering-what-is-levi-wearing). ;D


	29. Forearms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy fun times with the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I’ve ever written… but hey, check out the amazing fanart this week!
> 
> ♥ [Blue-haired Eren](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/128953378664/100shadesofwtf-haha-so-i-drew-the-queen-with) needs to be a thing. Thank you 100shadesofwtf for bringing this to my attention!  
> ♥ Is your heart ready for this [super-adorable Eren](http://floradoodle.tumblr.com/post/128986544938/i-drew-queen-pastel-eren-from-cocoachoux-s)?! Ah, floradoodle did such an amazing job!  
> ♥ cetlii-sama comes back again with more [Eren and Levi](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/129033487211/cocoachoux-i-did-things-even-if-they-are-doodle)! (Also check out the [WIP](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/129202533251/wip-of-guess-what-more-comh-art-yep-that-fic)!)  
> ♥ bittersweetstardustcosplay did an [amazing job in colouring](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/129236131599/bittersweetstardustcosplay-i-coloured) littlefrostie’s pastel!Eren drawing!  
> ♥ And bloodredphantom comes back with this pretty [Eren in winter](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/129398072802/another-drawing-i-did-for-click-on-my-heart-by)!

“Dad, Dad, wake up!” a voice called to him.

Levi groaned. He turned over and mumbled something about giving him five more minutes before letting out a light snore, snuggling into his pillow as he did so.

Mikasa huffed at his behavior. While it was normal for him to be like this in the mornings, today was a special day and he needed to get up.

She crossed her arms and jutted out her hip, trying to decide on how to wake him. Usually, she would pat his face until he woke up, but she was feeling a little more… generous this morning considering it was his birthday after all.

Getting an idea, she gave her dad one last glance before leaving the room. She smirked as she walked down the hallway to the room of the person she wanted to see.

_Knock knock knock._

There were a few shuffling sounds before the door opened.

“Oh, good morning, Mikasa! Merry Christmas!”

“Good morning and Merry Christmas to you too, Eren!” she greeted enthusiastically. “Are you a girl today?” Mikasa asked, noting the makeup Eren had on.

“Yup!” Eren felt happy that Mikasa noticed the difference. Most of the time, when Eren has her “girl days,” she tended to spoil herself in makeup and jewelry. (But she would still wear pastels regardless of gender or no gender because pastels make her feel confident and happy). “Is there something that you need?”

The little girl smirked as she tilted her head and battered her eyelashes. “Yes, I was wondering if you can do a favor for me…”

* * *

“-vi? Levi, wake up.”

Levi furrowed his eyebrows from the voice calling out to him. “No… I told you to give me five minutes, Mikasa,” he grumbled, turning over again.

In his half-awake state, Levi heard giggling. _‘Mikasa’s giggle doesn’t sound like that…’_

He groaned a little as he felt a warm pressure on his hips. “Babe, you should get up now,” Eren’s teasing voiced called for him.

Levi shot his eyes wide open once his mind finally registered Eren’s voice, and was greeted by the brunette sitting on his pelvic area. “Good morning, Levi! Merry Christmas!”

_‘I’m totally dreaming. There’s no fucking way.’_

Eren had her bangs pulled back by some snowflake hair pins. Underneath her white-framed glasses, she was wearing light red (almost pink) eyeshadow with her green-blue eye, and light green eyeshadow with her gold eye. And as much as Levi would love to stare at her beautiful face all day, he was particularly distracted by [what Eren was wearing](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6c/a9/09/6ca9096019f36835f7f72205da7aac31.jpg).

Instead of the normally obnoxious bright red or green (ugly) Christmas sweater Levi was usually forced into wearing by his friends, Eren, on the other hand, was wearing a simple white knit sweater with a black reindeer silhouette and some snowflakes. It wasn’t very long, but even Levi could see from his point of view, that a mint green skirt with black polka dots was flared out underneath the sweater. The real eye-opener, though, was the white tights Eren was wearing with blue snowflakes printed on them.

Leave it to Eren to pastel-fy Christmas and make it work.

Eren smiled when she saw Levi’s wide eyes. She lowered her eyelids and said in a lower, but still feminine voice, “Happy Birthday, Levi.”

_‘Happy fucking birthday to me.’_ Levi was never more so grateful to be born into the world than at that moment, staring at Eren sitting on top of him.

He turned a little so he could see Eren more properly, but very slowly so that she doesn’t get pushed off from his movements. “Good morning and Merry Christmas to you, Eren. And thank you.”

Eren’s smile was blinding and Levi wasn’t prepared to see such brilliance right in the morning. “Anytime, Levi. You have such cute bed hair by the way.”

The man felt himself starting to blush and made an attempt to pull the covers to hide his face. “No. I’m not cute, go away.”

The brunette laughed as she maneuvered herself off the bed. “Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going. I’ll be downstairs getting breakfast started. Come join us whenever you’re ready,” Eren said as she got up to leave the room. Before she did, though, she stopped and smirked at Levi who was trying to sit up on the bed. “But, you’re the most adorable of the manliest men I know.” She winked and laughed at Levi’s incredulous look as she closed the door with a click.

Levi sat there, a blush formed across his cheeks. He absentmindedly reached behind him to grab a pillow and buried his face to scream. Why the fuck was Eren so cute?!

After letting out his inner fanboy out for a moment, his heart beat slowed down to a normal pace. He finally removed his face from the pillow-

-only to yelp as he saw his daughter’s black eyes staring right at him.

“Mikasa! What the fuck?!”

The little girl smirked as she shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, Dad. You shouldn’t be saying that to your own daughter.”

Levi rolled his eyes as he pulled away from the covers so he could finally get ready for the day. Mikasa expertly moved away so that she wouldn’t get wrapped into a blanket burrito (as what usually happens when Levi is either in a playful mood or wants revenge). She smiled as she saw Levi trying to tame his bed hair. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday.”

Levi paused his actions and looked at her. Her smirk was gone and was replaced with a gentle smile instead. He smiled back as he leaned over to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Mikasa. And Merry Christmas to you too.” He truly felt blessed.

Letting her go, he ruffled her hair. “Where did you get that outfit?” he asked. She was wearing a [sweater with a reindeer on it](http://g03.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1xaedJXXXXXaVXXXXq6xXFXXXd/Kids-Sweater-Girls-Autumn-Winter-Children-s-Clothing-Cotton-Button-O-Neck-sweater-Coat-Long-Sleeve.jpg), but it had different colors and patterns to it. Levi didn’t recall buying it from her so he wasn’t sure.

“Ah! Hange got it for me! Didn’t you bring yours?”

Levi snorted. “As if. They make it a mission to get me a Christmas sweater that is uglier than the year before. Also, it would have taken up too much space in the suitcase since they thought it would be funny to get an extra, extra, extra large size for me.”

Mikasa giggled because it was such a Hange thing to do. “Well, what are you going to wear then?”

The man shrugged as he walked over to the closet. Looking through his various clothes, he tried to think of what to wear that would seem festive enough.

“Here, wear this,” Mikasa said as she pushed a red flannel shirt into his hands.

“Oh? Am I taking fashion advice from my own daughter now?” he said in a teasing voice. He pulled up the flannel shirt to inspect it. During their shopping trip for winter clothes, Eren told him that he should get a flannel shirt to feel more Canadian. It didn’t take much convincing to buy the damn thing if Eren told him to so.

“You have to dress to impress, Dad. Oh, and a white shirt to wear underneath, and also the black jeans that make your butt look nice,” she said.

Levi sputtered. “Mikasa!”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What? Hange and Auntie Isabel said it, not me.”

The man grumbled, making a note to get Hange and Isabel for this later, and put on the outfit that his daughter ordered him to wear. Mikasa turned away to let him dress in peace and only looked when she felt a tap on her head. “Hmm…”

She looked at Levi up and down and gave him a thoughtful look. “You should unbutton the shirt to leave it open. And also roll up the sleeves. I heard that girls really like to see a guy’s forearms.”

Mikasa received a weird look from Levi that was a mixture of shocked and mortified. Shrugging, she replied to his questioning look. “Uncle Erwin, Mike, and Farlan.”

“I’m going to strangle all of them when we get back.”

* * *

“Hey, glad you can join me,” Eren greeted when the two Ackermans entered the kitchen.

Levi looked around as he sat on the barstool. “Where are your parents?”

“Ah, Mom and Dad usually go visit the patients and Dad’s coworkers, bringing lots of food and desserts with them. They do it every year and they’ll come back later in the evening,” Eren explained. “I usually go with them, but I decided to keep you two company.”

“Oh. I’m sorry that you’re stuck here with us,” Levi apologized.

“Nonsense. I told you before, haven’t I? I love spending time with you two. Besides, I needed a year without people pinching my cheeks and telling me how much I’ve grown,” Eren explained. “And also, it’s your birthday today. It would be quite rude if I left even though I invited you, no?”

Levi sighed. Eren was truly an angel.

The man’s eyebrow rose as he felt his cellphone vibrate. Pulling it out of his pants, he saw that it was his mother calling. “Hello?”

“Rivaille, mon petit chou! _Bon anniversaire!_ ”

Levi chuckled at her enthusiasm. “ _Joyeux Noël_ , Maman.”

“So? How are you this morning?” the woman asked.

Levi excused himself as he walked out of the kitchen to continue chatting. “I’m pretty good, considering Eren woke me up by sitting on top of me.”

“Oh, my! How bold of him!”

“Her. It was a surprise, yes, but it was a nice surprise.”

“Ah, _désolée_! How are things going between you and Eren?”

Levi shifted his weight to his other foot as he looked up. “I don’t know, Maman. Good, I guess? I don’t exactly know what I’m doing. I told you that Mikasa and I were going to stay with her parents, right? Well, I wasn’t sure if Mikasa told you this already, but Eren is coming to L.A. to do work as a full-time YouTuber and will be moving in with us.”

The man paused as he waited for her response. He heard a thud and distant screaming. “Maman?! Are you okay?!”

The distant screaming stopped and Levi heard a bit of shuffling before he heard her speak again. “Ah, I dropped the phone. But anyway, Levi! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? This is great news!”

Even though Levi couldn’t see her, he had no doubt that she was grinning right now. “I don’t know, Maman. One thing led to another and it became that way. Oh, and I talked with Eren’s mom, Carla. She’s very sweet and reminds me a lot of you, actually. We talked and I guess she figured out that I really like Eren. Oh, and Carla supports me pursuing a relationship with Eren…” Levi trailed off, not knowing what else to say. He did mention before that he wasn’t the most eloquent with his words.

There was another shriek and Levi had to pull away from his phone because of how loud it was. “Levi, I’m so happy for you! Let me speak with Mikasa. I need to talk to scold her for not telling me this!”

The man chuckled as he went back into the kitchen. There was a delicious smell of cinnamon and Levi’s stomach growled as he passed the phone to Mikasa. “Your grand-mère would like to speak with you.”

Mikasa nodded as she took the phone. “Hello? Grand-mère?” She stood up and just like what Levi did earlier; she left the kitchen, leaving just Levi and Eren.

“Was that your mom?” Eren asked.

“Mhm. She was just wishing me a happy birthday. By the way, what are you making?”

“Well, you have good timing because I just finished baking this batch of cinnamon rolls. All we gotta do is wait for it cool a bit before I can serve it. Mikasa told me you had a sweet tooth, so I decided we should start off your birthday with cinnamon rolls for breakfast,” she said as she gave him a playful grin.

The words, “I love you” were at the tip of Levi’s tongue, but he bit back from saying it. Even though it would’ve been cast off as playful and not at all serious, Levi didn’t believe it was right to say those words then and there. Huffing, he placed his arms on the kitchen island and rested his head on them and looked towards where Mikasa headed off to.

Eren took a peek when Levi rested his arms onto the kitchen island. She bit her lips as she looked at the contours of his forearms and the beautiful ink that decorated them. There was something about guys who roll up their sleeves to their elbows that never fails to make Eren swoon and Levi was no exception. Probably staring for far longer than necessary, she looked away, hoping that she wasn’t caught staring.

Mikasa finally finished her talk with Kuchel, a big smile on her face and sat next to Levi. Once deeming them cool but warm enough, Eren served them their own plate of cinnamon rolls (Mikasa had one, Eren had two, and Levi had three).

Levi almost moaned out loud of how delicious it was. It was fluffy and warm like Eren and so, so very sweet. Mikasa let out a happy hum and Eren smiled at the two Ackermans enjoying her baking.

They finished their cinnamon rolls (Levi ate two more), cleaned up the kitchen and moved to the living room to watch some TV.

There were Christmas decorations all over the house, but it was nothing compared to the living room, that boasted an eight-foot-tall tree. Mikasa and Eren had a lot of fun decorating the tree, while Levi untangled the Christmas lights.

Under the tree, there were various gifts and packages, and surprisingly, there was stuff for Mikasa and Levi as well. “Come on, let’s go open the presents. I already exchanged gifts with my parents early this morning, so now you two need to open your presents,” Eren encouraged them.

The two Ackermans looked at each other before nodding. “We’ll be right back,” they said at the same time before dashing towards the staircase.

Eren blinked at their departure and blinked again when they came back with wrapped gifts. They sat down comfortably in a triangle as they looked at each other.

Mikasa decided to go first as she took out the item that she hid behind her. Eren let out a gasp as Mikasa presented to her a flower crown made out of poinsettias. “Here, Eren. I had asked dad to take me to the flower store when you left early on the Sunday of the convention. I wanted to make you something festive and I used your tutorial to make it. I hope that it’s okay…”

The brunette smiled at the girl before her, feeling touched that she would make something for her. Eren leaned over as she hugged Mikasa. “Oh, this is so beautiful! Thank you so much, Mikasa! Can you put it on for me?” she asked, ducking her head as the red flower crown rested properly on her head. “Actually, this is perfect.” Eren reached behind her and grabbed a flat-ish box and gave it to Mikasa.

Mikasa eagerly (but gently) unwrapped the present and let out an “Oh my God,” before hugging Eren.

“It’s so pretty,” Mikasa commented as Eren placed the antler flower crown on her. The antlers were white in color, but vibrant red and pink roses decorated the headband with green leaves sticking out.

“Thank you. Actually, this is a new project I worked on a while ago. I will be making a video tutorial on how to make one for the New Year,” Eren explained. “And Levi, this is one box, but there are two gifts for you.”

Levi looked surprised. “You didn’t have to, Eren.”

“Oh, but I did. So all you can do now is accept them and not hurt my feelings.”

The man shook his head as he took the box from the brunette. It was relatively big, but it was very light.

Curious, Levi unwrapped his gift and let out a bark of laughter once he saw what was inside.

It was a plush toy. And not just any plush toy, but it was a big, soft plush rainbow manatee.

“Where did you get this?” Levi asked once his laughter subsided.

Eren gave him a nervous smile as she fiddled with the hem of her sweater. “A toy store, but there weren’t any rainbow ones, so I had to dye it myself. Do you like it?”

The way that she looked at him made his heart melt. He gave her a soft smile as he nodded. “I love it, it’s very cute. Thank you, Eren.”

She beamed as Levi took the plush toy out and passed it along to Mikasa who wanted to see it. Levi saw that there was another box inside, and took it out.

Opening it, Levi let out a quiet gasp. “You got me black pearl tea?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah, it’s also black jasmine tea from China.”

Her breath hitched when Levi gave her a genuine smile. “Thank you so much, Eren. I appreciate it.”

Coughing away to control the heat that was making its way onto her face, she felt a heavy box placed on her lap. Smiling, she opened the box to see something pink.

Eren laughed as she took out the pink leather jacket. “This is so perfect and totally my aesthetic. I can’t wait to coordinate new outfits with this. Thank you so much!”

Levi nodded as he reached behind him to pull out another box. “I’m kind of cheating and saying that I have another gift for you. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too special. It was an additional gift from last time we went shopping,” he explained as placed the box on Eren’s lap.

Eren blinked at the familiar-looking box on her lap. She gently placed away her new leather jacket and held up the small box. Looking up, she saw Levi looking down on the carpet they were sitting at, almost as if he was embarrassed.

Knowing that shaking boxes never worked, she opened the lid of the box and let out a delighted gasp. “This is gorgeous! Wow! Are you sure you want to give this to me?” Even though she said that, there was a smile on her face as she gently took out the bracelet.

“Yeah. Only you want to keep it, anyway. It’s fine if you don’t, but it suits you,” Levi said, elated that Eren was smiling so brightly.

“No, no. I love it! Thank you so much, Levi,” was what Eren said before she leaned over to hug him.

Levi felt his heart explode from the warm contact. Her body was pressed up against his and her arms tightened her hold as Levi wrapped his arms around her. The man felt her body heat and each inhale and exhale she takes. And even through the layers of clothes, Levi was sure he could feel her heartbeat.

They pulled away, but Eren’s mismatched eyes looked right into Levi’s silver ones and he felt like crying. Eren was so close to him and Levi was sure if he moved an inch-

_“Ahem.”_

The two broke apart from the sound and looked over to Mikasa’s amused face. Eren flushed as she looked away and scrambled to put the bracelet on.

Seeing that she was struggling, Levi held the two ends of the bracelet to clasp it to each other.

“Ah, thank you, Levi,” she said with a shy smile.

The man only nodded. “Anytime, Eren,” but he said that with a slight smile.

“Can we go watch movies now?” Mikasa asked.

“Eh? Did you two already exchanged gifts?” Eren asked.

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah. Dad got me some really cool headphones and I got him one of those fancy color-changing mugs that had an infuser with it.”

“It’s pretty damn cool. And it’s great because I can drink the tea you gave me with it,” Levi said.

Eren walked over to the couch and grabbed the remote. “Those sound like great gifts. Now, do you prefer Christmas specials on cable or Netflix?”

Mikasa watched from her spot as Levi and Eren debate on what to watch. She smiled as she thought back to when her dad and Eren finally hugged.

It almost looked as if her Dad wanted to kiss Eren, but Mikasa felt like it wasn’t the right time yet. _‘If Dad moves too quickly, he might scare Eren off,’_ she thought.

Oh well.

At least she took a photo of them hugging without them noticing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is slowly draining my life force. OTL


	30. Boxing Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you sure you want to get that, Eren?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries* You guys are so, so amazing and I’m in awe every time I see how creative y’all are!
> 
> ♥ [pastel!Eren in winter](http://shingekicornwrites.tumblr.com/post/129473125838/a-small-doodle-i-did-for-the-ereri-fic-click-on-my)? It’s a done deal by shingekicornwrites!  
> ♥ cetlii is back again with the [lovely scene](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/129477478681/cocoachoux-so-i-colored-in-the-sketch-and-fixed) from Chapter 29! ;)  
> ♥ Eee! kenmas-kuroo did an amazing [punk!Levi](http://kenmas-kuroo.tumblr.com/post/129675900372/punk-levi-cosplay-based-on-cocoachouxs-click-on)!  
> ♥ bloodredphantom is a lovely human being who blessed us with [QueenPastelEren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/129608655537/queenpasteleren-filming-another-video-for-her) and pastel!Eren in [winter wonderland](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/129891895117/a-sketch-drawing-of-queenpasteleren-in-a-winter)!  
> ♥ The talented thenewinshayneity drew our favourite Queen in such a [regal way](http://thenewinshayneity.tumblr.com/post/129621743297/september-21-2015-quicksand-define-her-abyss)!  
> ♥ And jaegergoat made [a video](http://jaegergoat.tumblr.com/post/129858213481/so-i-finally-got-round-to-doing-a-video-on-how-i) about her Queen cosplay makeup routine!

Levi shivered when a gust of wind went by him and let out a small sniffle.

“Levi? Are you alright, dear?” Carla asked.

The man shook his head. “I’m alright. I’m just a bit cold. How long until the doors open?”

Grisha turned his wrist to see his watch. “About five more minutes.”

Nodding at the answer, Levi shifted his weight and rocked back and forth in his boots.

_‘Why the fuck am I here again?’_

Oh, right. It was because of Eren.

_‘Stupid Eren and his stupid pretty face,’_ Levi grumbled to himself.

Eren woke him up that morning (unfortunately, Eren decided not to sit on Levi to wake him up this time) at dawn to let him know to get ready.

“Ready for what?” Levi asked in his half-awake state, trying to resist the urge to make grabby motions at Eren like a child who wants attention.

All Levi received was a smirk. “It’s Boxing Day today.”

Flash forward a few hours later, the two families were standing in line outside a mall with (possibly) hundreds of people behind them. The sun wasn’t even out yet, it was freezing, and there were some mall employees outside trying to direct people to stand in an organized fashion before the doors opened.

“I still don’t know why it’s called Boxing Day if there’s no boxing involved,” Levi commented.

The smirked that all three of the Yeagers gave him made Levi nervous as he gulped.

The crowd started to countdown before the doors opened. Levi reached down for Mikasa’s glove-covered hand and braced for the worst.

Levi didn’t even see the doors actually opening before a rush of people went by him to get through the doors. _‘This is pure chaos.’_

The crowd pushed the two Ackermans through the doors and into the mall. Mikasa looked left and right before she saw Eren’s pink leather jacket. “There!” she pointed to the general direction she last saw Eren before dragging him towards a crowded store.

Levi was getting irritated with the number of bodies he had to nudge through before he finally saw the brunet. “Eren!” Mikasa called out.

Too busy being pushed against other people; they didn’t notice what kind of store Eren went into until the brunet turned around from his name being called, holding a blue [babydoll](https://cdnb.lystit.com/photos/2013/10/24/victorias-secret-black-lace-amp-chiffon-halter-babydoll-product-1-14451287-947816068.jpeg).

“Hey!” Mikasa complained when Levi swiftly covered her eyes. The two males looked at each other with red, blushing faces.

Eren still had the babydoll in his hands as he diverted his gaze somewhere else, wishing a hole would magically appear beneath him. The brunet didn’t expect them to find him so quickly.

_‘Damn this fabulous jacket,’_ Eren thought, trying to blame his embarrassment on the pink leather.

It was a shove that startled Eren out of his stupor and gave Levi a timid grin. “Uhh, I’ll see you later?”

The older man didn’t say anything but nodded in reply. He did a complete 180 and directed Mikasa out of the store.

Eren let out a sigh and looked down at the lacy blue fabric he was holding with a blush. It looked so cute and it was 80% off, how could he say no to that? And it would totally match with the some of the thigh highs he had at home (in a box, hidden in his closet).

Despite the earlier embarrassment, Eren decided to buy it and nudged his way to the cash register. Standing in the never-ending line, the brunet wondered which pair of thigh highs would look best along with the heels he has at home. Just thinking about coordinating an outfit for the babydoll in his hands made him feel giddy with excitement.

Moving slowly in the line, Eren saw some packaged stockings on display. He bit his lips as he reached to [take a look at one](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=8806246). It was sheer white but had a lace trim with a bow on top. _‘Oh fuck, I would look great in these,’_ he decided as he placed the package on top of his babydoll.

Whoever designed the store check-out line-up was brilliant, because Eren got suckered in and managed to also grab some nail polishes, lotions, and hair clips.

In Eren’s defense, it was Boxing Day and it was cheap.

Finally making it to the cash register, the girl behind the counter raised an eyebrow at the stuff laid out. “Belated Christmas gift for your girlfriend?” she said with a smirk.

The blush that disappeared came back in full force. “N-n-no…” Eren stammered.

The girl looked at him and Eren couldn’t help but look back right at her, wondering why she was staring at him. Trying to will away the blush, Eren tilted his head. “Is something the matter?”

Recognition appeared on her face as she gasped. “You’re the Queen!” she exclaimed in a whispered squeal.

Eren blinked a few times before he smiled. “Ah, yeah I am.” Looking down at the items he was going to purchase, his face went redder if that was possible. “Oh, uh, this is a bit embarrassing…”

“No, no! It’s fine, really. I promise I won’t tell anyone,” the girl reassured, instantly understanding whom the clothing was intended for. “I think these will look cute on you,” she said with a smile as she started to scan the items.

Still blushing, he returned her smile. “Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, is this for your boyfriend then?” she asked.

Eren let out a squeak. “N-no, I don’t have one…”

The girl looked surprised. “Really? I thought you were dating that gamer, HueManateesStrongest, right?”

The blush might as well have permanent residence on Eren’s face because it was not going away anytime soon. “No,” he shook his head. “We’re just friends, that’s all.”

“Hm…” she hummed. “I think you two would look cute together. Are you opposed to the idea of being with him?”

Eren bit his lips in nervousness. “Not really…”

The girl leaned forward and asked in a low whisper, “Do you like him? I promise I won’t tell a soul.”

Green and gold eyes shifted left and right. Biting his lips again, he gave her a nod, not really trusting his voice at the moment.

The girl seemed pleased with that answer as she let out a controlled shriek and clapped. “Oh my gosh, that is so cute!”

There was some disgruntled murmuring that was slowly growing in volume. Realizing that there was a crowd of people waiting in line, the girl quickly packaged Eren’s purchases and handed him his change. “Oh, before you go, can I please have your autograph?” she asked as she handed him a marker and her phone.

Eren smiled as he took the offered items and quickly signed the back of her phone case. “There! Thank you and I hope you enjoy the holidays even with all this madness around you,” he said as he took hold of the bag.

“Thank you so much! I hope you have a great holiday too! And good luck trying to seduce your future boyfriend!” she said with a large grin.

The brunet let out another embarrassing squawk as he walked away, ignoring the amused faces of the other customers.

* * *

“Dad, can you let go now? I can’t see anything,” Mikasa complained.

The duo walked quite a distance away from the store until Levi deemed it safe for Mikasa’s innocent eyes. “Geez, Dad, I thought we were supposed to go find Eren?”

Levi coughed as he looked away. “Ah, Eren needed to buy some… private stuff. He’ll meet up with us later. Anyway, let’s go see what all of this hype about Boxing Day is all about. I’m sure you can get stuff for Armin and Annie,” Levi suggested.

Successfully distracted, she nodded in approval as she took his hand and dragged him towards a nearby store.

Levi sighed in relief. At least he didn’t have to explain what Eren was buying to her. Though, an image of Eren dressed in the blue baby doll kneeling on a plush bed formed in his head. The sheer blue fabric wouldn’t do a good job hiding the naturally tanned skin. And knowing Eren’s preferences, Levi was sure that the brunet would probably wear some sort of tights or something similar. Levi was delving into dangerous territory as he thought about Eren in lace and matching panti-

_‘NO. Bad, Levi, bad. This is not the time to be thinking about how delectable Eren would look in- NO. You are with your child right now, bad,’_ he reprimanded himself, not realizing his face was turning pink again.

Unbeknownst to her dad’s dilemma, Mikasa let go of Levi’s hand to roam around the store that was selling a variety of plush toys.

Sighing, Levi parked near the doors of the store. It wasn’t as crowded compared to the other stores, but there were a fair amount of kids roaming around, and Levi wanted to give Mikasa the freedom of looking around but also being supervised.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Quickly glancing to where the hand came from, he sagged his shoulders in relief and nodded at Grisha as a greeting.

Chuckling, Grisha properly stood next to Levi. “How is it so far?” he asked.

Levi shrugged. “It’s like Black Friday in the States, but no accidents yet, so it’s better.”

“Not one for crowded areas, eh?”

Still keeping an eye out for Mikasa, he nodded. “Where’s Carla?”

“Ah, she’s in the bookstore two stores down from here. And knowing her, she’s going to be there for a while. How about Eren?”

Levi felt his cheeks warm up as he coughed. “He was busy buying something.”

“He was in one of _those_ stores, right?”

The shorter man nodded with his red face as the taller one laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I saw the same thing happen the year before.”

Not knowing how to reply to that, Levi nodded again as he watched Mikasa grabbed a whale plush toy off the shelf.

“So, you and Eren, huh?”

What was with everything making Levi coughing and blushing today?

Grisha smiled in amusement by the other’s actions. “A little birdie told me something interesting.”

Again, not knowing what to say, Levi nodded.

The older man sighed. “I’m not going to threaten you, you know? I’m just acting like an old man with a broken heart. You’ll take care of Eren when he’s in L.A., won’t you?”

Turning his head to look at Grisha straight in the eyes, he said, “Of course, Dr. Yeager. You can trust me to take care of Eren.”

Nodding in approval, Grisha reached and gave him another pat on the shoulder. “Good to know that you still remember that I’m a doctor who knows exactly on how to hurt you in the most painful ways if I see Eren unhappy, right?”

_‘I thought you **just** said you weren’t going to threaten me?’_ Even though he was smiling, Levi could sense malice behind it. “Yes, sir.”

Grisha gave him one final pat before he took a step backward. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to drag Carla away to buy some candles. Call us if you need anything.”

Levi watched the man’s retreating form as he blended with the crowd of shoppers. He felt a tug on his jacket and looked down to see Mikasa holding a toy.

“Dad, check out this baby doll!”

Levi groaned. It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, the infamous ryuusea drew the 104th [teaser](http://ryuusea.tumblr.com/post/129624943811/the-original-plan-was-for-the-104th-to-do-a) [poster](http://ryuusea.tumblr.com/post/129624947146/separate-drawings-of-the-104th-idol-au-before-i) from my [kpop!ereri](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4738718) fic!


	31. Canal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Carla, then Grisha, and now who’s next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do all professors plan together to have assignments and tests done in the same week to torture their students? D;
> 
> Anyways, check out this week’s fanart! :D
> 
> ♥ bloodredphantom has been spoiling me with wonderful fanart of our [fearless Knight](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/129966868397/i-never-drew-the-knight-of-comh-so-here-she-is) and also a new, [wonderful icon](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/130409705172/the-creator-cocoachoux-of-click-on-my-heart) for my Tumblr!

“Dad, look! I’m doing it!” Mikasa said as she shakily stood on the ice, gripping Levi’s hand as she did so.

“Steady there, Mikasa. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Levi said, but a small smile was apparent on his face.

“Woo! Go, Mikasa!” Sasha called out.

“C’mon little knight, you can do it!” Connie joined in.

After the whole Boxing Day fiasco, the New Year passed by in an instant. Before they knew it, the Yeager household was ambushed by the rambunctious college students. Connie, Sasha, Historia, and Ymir were the first to visit them in, and Jean and Marco landed the day after.

The past few days after the New Years were spent indoors because of snow storm warnings, but the group had lots of stuff to catch up on and occupy their time: talking about their holidays, watching Jean and Marco’s videos of their adventures in Sweden, eating lots of food and hot chocolates, and playing several video games. Though the weather outside was gloomy, the house was filled with smiles and laughter.

However, the day before the Ackermans were supposed to leave, the storm had finally passed, making everyone rush outside to enjoy the rest of their break before school started again. And, it was also a good opportunity to teach Mikasa to skate since Levi promised her that he would.

“You’re doing great, Mikasa! You’re a natural at this!” Eren said as he skated backwards, holding onto his phone to record Mikasa’s first attempt at skating.

“Ymir, are you sure you’re Canadian? You can’t even stand up straight!” Jean gloated, skating in circles around the wobbling girl.

“Shut the fuck up, Jean. I didn’t know they allowed horses on the canal,” Ymir quipped back.

“Actually, they do. There’s a sleigh ride over there,” Historia pointed out.

“Not helping, Historia!”

The blonde girl shrugged at him before she helped her girlfriend stand back up from laughing at the comment. “And Ymir, I told you to talk slow steps, there’s no rush. Here, hold my hand.”

“Aw, babe! You’re the best!” The freckled girl said as she hunched over her instead of holding her hand. “Ymir!”

Marco let out a hearty chuckle as he reached for Jean’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go catch up with Connie and Sasha.” With a nod, the two skated their way towards the duo that seemed to have started to race against each other.

“Eren? Are you coming?” Historia asked.

“Soon! I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

The girl nodded at his reply before gently guiding Ymir to where the others were.

“Are you sure you didn’t want to go with them, Eren?” Levi asked. “We can manage here on our own.”

The brunet shook his head. “Naw. If I go there, I guarantee you that Sasha and Connie would probably start a snowball fight, which will lead to the canal officers finding out what’s going on, and I don’t feel like getting kicked off of the canal yet. Besides,” Eren looked up from his phone and gave Levi a bright smile. “I want to be here to record Mikasa’s first time skating.”

Levi felt better knowing that he could now blame his blushing on the chilly weather. “Thank you for being here with us, Eren.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes at his stiff language. Even though they spent so much time in the same house together, Levi’s mind and mouth still doesn’t function properly when Eren was around. “Dad, can we move faster?” she asked, trying to distract Levi from making another awkward comment.

“You sure?”

“Mm!”

“Okay,” Levi said. He let go of Mikasa’s hand and moved in front of her to hold both of her hands. Levi shook his hips side to side as he skated backwards. “Let me know if I’m going too fast, alright?”

Mikasa giggled. “Okay. And you better be careful too. I’m the one with a helmet, not you.” As a protective dad, Levi made sure Mikasa was properly suited up for her first time skating with puffy snowpants, a helmet, mittens, and the red scarf. He wanted her to wear knee pads too, but one look at her scowling face and he relented from doing so.

Eren covered his mouth to hide a chuckle. It wasn’t the first time he thought the two were adorable, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

They skated along the canal, avoiding other people and trying to catch up to the others. It didn’t take very long for Mikasa to get the hang of skating. Before they knew it, she let go of Levi’s hands and skated around them with confidence.

“See, told you were a natural, Mikasa,” Eren complimented.

“Thank you! This is a lot of fun!” she said as she slowed down her movements to skate alongside Eren.

Eren smiled at her. “That’s good. I’m glad that you had a chance to experience this before going home.”

Mikasa’s smile dropped as she looked in front of her. “Yeah, I wish we had more time together.”

Noticing the change in her facial expression, Levi glided next to her and held her hand. “Hey, are you hungry? It’s almost time for lunch,” he asked, hoping to distract her.

“Mm, sure.”

Well, that didn’t work.

Eren shifted his eyes back and forth between the two. He reached to hold Mikasa’s other hand and smiled at her. “Hey, I’ll be seeing you guys soon after this. And then it’ll be _your_ turn to show me around, right?”

She looked at him and bit her lips in thought before nodding. “Right.”

“Good! But for now, let’s have as much fun as we can, alright?”

Mikasa smiled at the proposition. “Yeah!”

Right after she said that, her stomach growled.

Eren let out a bark of laughter as he gently tugged her, which also tugged Levi since he was still holding her hand, to skate faster. “C’mon, let’s get you something to eat. Oh! I know! Let’s go get some BeaverTails!”

“Beaver what?!”

* * *

“You know, I was expecting something a bit more morbid, not a flattened churro.”

The group let out an incredulous gasp. “How dare you! BeaverTails are deep-fried puff pastry goodness!” Sasha exclaimed.

“Yeah! It’s nothing like a churro!” Connie added.

Levi raised his arms in a defensive stance. “Alright, alright. Don’t get your toques in a twist. It was just an observation.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. How about we just sit down and eat?” Marco-the-actual-living-freckled-Jesus suggested.

Eren, Levi, and Mikasa managed to find the group and headed towards the food shack to get lunch. Levi found it interesting that little shacks were built on the ice and various tables were set up out in the open, but it was better than going through the process of taking the skates off to find somewhere to eat.

Everyone ordered BeaverTails and hot chocolate (again, Levi paid and told them that he was not allowing broke college students pay for his stuff) along with the infamous poutine that everyone told the Ackermans must try.

Finally getting their food, they glided to two available tables and sat themselves down. Levi looked at the thin pastry wrapped in paper, wondering what was so good about it, when he noticed eyes trying to discreetly look at him.

“Can you not?” Levi asked with an eyebrow raised.

The group sheepishly smiled as they were caught staring and went back to focusing their own lunch.

“Sorry Levi, it’s just kind of a thing we do when we introduce new people to this stuff,” Eren explained.

Nodding, Levi picked up the pastry, as did Mikasa (after she took a photo), and cautiously took a bite of it.

It was cinnamon and crispy, but still very sweet. It was quite good. “Not bad.” Mikasa happily hummed in agreement beside him, getting sugar all over her lips.

Eren smiled as he pushed the carton of the other item to the two. “Now try this. You can’t go wrong with fries, gravy, and cheese curds.”

Placing the pastry down and wiping his mouth, Levi wrinkled his nose. “That sounds so wrong.” Picking up a fork, he poked and twirled the fries to snap off the cheese string attached to it. Seeing Eren’s encouraging nod, he opened his mouth to get it over with.

Compared to the sweet taste and crispy texture from before, it was salty and a little crisp. It wasn’t that bad, a bit too salty for Levi’s liking, but chewing a few times, Levi noticed a squeaking sound. “The fuck?”

The group, obviously observing their reactions, started laughing. “Ah, squeaky cheese curds are the best!” Jean said.

“I don’t think I like this,” Mikasa said as she made a disgruntled face, placing down her fork.

“I’ll eat it!” Sasha offered, cheering when Levi pushed the carton to her.

“I guess you do like sweet things,” Eren commented with a wink.

_‘Yeah, like you.’_

Levi let out a cough before finishing eating the rest of the pastry and drinking the hot chocolate. Even though it was delicious, it wasn’t exactly filling. Standing up, he asked, “I’m going to go get some more food. Does anyone want anything?”

Nodding at Sasha’s request for more poutine, he skated over to the end of the line-up.

A few seconds later, he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw it was Historia behind him. “Hello, did you need something?”

The girl smiled as she shook her head. “Not exactly, I just wanted to ask how things are going along with Eren.” She laughed when she saw his cheeks go red, and it definitely wasn’t from the cold weather. “He told us that he’ll be moving to L.A. and is going to live with you as he makes YouTube videos for a living.”

Not really knowing to respond to that, he just nodded. “Yeah.”

Historia rolled her eyes at the response. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright with Eren so close by?”

Trying to steady himself on the ice, he shifted his weight on one side. “Pretty sure. We discussed a few things that we’ll have to do, paperwork, space, and stuff, but it’s no problem. And Mikasa will definitely enjoy Eren’s company. Besides, I know how Eren is when he’s at home, so I have a pretty good understanding of what he’s like with household chores and stuff.”

The blonde let out a huff of air. “You guys have been together, but Eren’s parents were always there in the house. Soon, it’ll be just you and Eren. Alone. Together. While Mikasa is away for school for most of the day. Am I being clear? I will ask you again, are you sure you’re going to be alright?”

At her words, Levi blinked. Truthfully, he didn’t exactly factor that part in. He just went with the flow of things.

But thinking about Eren in his house, smiling and laughing with his friends that he would be introduced to (even if Levi didn’t introduce them properly, his friends would find a way into his house), eating dinner with Eren instead of just him and Mikasa, listening to Eren talk about his new videos, and just being able to see Eren all the time just made Levi feel more committed to the decision.

Even though Levi liked routine, Eren would bring a good kind of change into his life.

He didn’t even know that he subconsciously let out a smile at the thought.

Seeing his expression changed, she smiled. “Just take care of Eren for us, alright?”

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and rapidly blinked a few times. “What?”

She let out a chuckled as she shook her head. “Nothing really. You go get your food, I’m going to hea back to the table,” she said, turning to skate away but stopped and looked back. “Oh, and make sure you make it obvious to Eren that you like him. You need to step it up to court our beloved Queen, Corporal, sir.” Historia smirked at his shocked face and skated away to the tables.

Levi shook his head as he skated up the line wondering why everyone was so keen on getting him to ask Eren out.

 _‘You want to, so what’s exactly stopping you?’_ his mind asked.

 _‘Rejection is scary shit and if Eren said no, it will actually cause my heart to break,’_ he argued.

_‘But he makes you happy.’_

_‘…’_

_‘And he makes Mikasa happy.’_

_‘…’_

_‘You’ll move the stars just to see him smile. Again, what’s exactly stopping you?’_

Levi bit his lips and took out his phone. Unlocking the screen, he looked at the picture of him, Mikasa, and Eren. The selfie that Mikasa took the day that they met.

The few short weeks after meeting Eren were an adventure. He got to see Eren in a different light; different from Eren on YouTube.

And every day, Levi fell deeper and deeper in love.

Looking back at the table, he saw that Eren was smiling as he reached over to wipe the sugar off of Mikasa’s face.

Levi’s heart lurched at this sight and had to take a few deep breaths to calm his heartbeat.

Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to find it in himself to be selfish for once.

And properly court his Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I posted a fem!ereri fic yesterday. If anyone’s interested, [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4917427)!


	32. Come Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going to be all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. This has reached 1500 kudos! ;w; Thank you so so much for your continued support of this fic! You readers are my motivation to keep on writing! ♥
> 
> Anyone want to take a guess where I got the title from? ;) Anyway, check out this week’s wonderful fanart after reading this chapter! :D
> 
> ♥ Do you still remember the [donair scene](http://tristanesquesporadicy.tumblr.com/post/130586372501/read-left-to-right-3-drew-some-fanart-for) from Chapter 17? Because tristanesquesporadicy definitely did! ;D  
> ♥ I am so happy that bloodredphantom blessed us again and drew the _lovely_ [scene](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/130641774052/mentally-preparing-himself-he-stood-on-his-toes) at the end of this chapter!  
>  ♥ Excuse my ugly sobbing, because candied-cravat’s art does things to me, especially their [latest sketches](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/130658407716/sketches-of-the-newest-chapter-of-click-on-my) of this chapter!  
> ♥ Get ready to drool over imasmi‘s drawing of Levi and the ["Do you even lift?" scene](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/130836682614/do-you-even-lift-click-on-my-heart-by) because I wasn't! ^^"

Eren let out a deep sigh as he stood near a pillar with his friends, watching Levi and Mikasa from a distance as the two were checking in their luggage for their flight.

“I swear to god, Eren. One more sigh from you and I’m going to drag your perky ass over to short stuff and mash your faces together,” Ymir threatened.

“Ymir,” Eren growled between his clenched teeth. Even though he was trying to warn her, his red cheeks decreased the effectiveness of his murderous face.

The tall brunette shrugged her shoulders before tilting her head to where the Ackermans were. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Eren? He’s leaving in a few hours.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m going to see them in a few months anyway,” Eren said. Though, it was said more to himself than the others considering the frown on his face.

Marco gave him a sympathetic smile as he placed his hand on Eren’s shoulder. “As you said, it’ll be fine. Cheer up a bit, alright? Once all the paperwork gets done, it’ll be _you_ who we’ll be sending off.”

“Besides,” Jean added, “It’ll be your sweet ass that will be all over the Corporal soon enough, so don’t be such a grump now.”

The blush that was on Eren’s face immediately disappeared and he flashed Jean a look of annoyance. “Oh, fuck you.”

Jean snorted. “You wish, Yeager, Marco is the one who does it.”

Marco’s blushing face was ignored by the rest of the group making wrenching sounds. “TMI dude!” Connie playfully pushed Jean, but was laughing at the same time. “I hope that Eren won’t pick up any of the Corporal’s way of speaking when he lives there.”

“And what’s wrong with the way I speak?”

The group whipped their heads to see Levi standing there and Mikasa beside him. The man shifted his weight onto one leg and crossed his arms. Raising one of his pierced eyebrows, he gave the group a look. “Well?”

“Uh- nothing! Nothing at all, Corporal, sir!” Connie exclaimed as he saluted.

It was quite comical to see that despite them knowing each other for the past few weeks, Connie was still sometimes skittish around Levi.

With a smirk, Levi shook his head before relaxing his stance. “So, we have a few more minutes to kill until we have to go through security. Want to grab some breakfast?”

The rest of the group nodded in agreement along with Sasha’s yell of “Yes!” as they moved to the food court area.

Moving some tables and chairs around to create one big table, Levi left to go get the food with Eren tagging along with him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit down? I can take everyone’s order,” Levi asked.

Eren smiled. Levi was very considerate without knowing. Shaking his head, Eren replied, “It’s alright. I know their usual orders by heart anyway.”

Nodding at the brunet’s reply, Levi looked at the menu with a thoughtful hum, not noticing that Eren was still looking at him.

Eren let out a quiet sigh as he stood in line next to Levi in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but Eren wished that he had something to say since these were the last moments he had with Levi before he boards his plane to go back home.

Playing with the hem of his pink leather jacket, Eren said, “Uhm, thank you again for the jacket. It’s really nice.” Wow, was there literally nothing else he couldn’t talk about?

Again, either not noticing the brunet’s odd behavior, or electing to ignore it, Levi nodded. “No problem, Eren,” said brunet shivered when the man said his name in a low voice, “it looks amazing on you. I’m glad that it fits perfectly.”

If it wasn’t the compliment that was making turn pink like his jacket, then it was definitely the smile that he received from the usually-impassive-looking man. Eren bit his lips before soothing it with his tongue. Not noticing Levi’s eyes watching the little action, the brunet smiled back. “Thank you.”

Levi rolled his eyes, but smirked at the brunet. “First ‘sorry’ and now ‘thank you’? You Canadians are way too polite.”

Eren chuckled as he playfully nudged Levi in the shoulder. “Well, Mr. Grumpy, maybe you should stay here longer. Learn a thing or two, ya know?”

The raven’s smirked dropped and turned into a sad smile. “I wish. I… enjoyed my time here much more than I originally expected. I had a lot of fun and Mikasa was happy the whole time we were here and it’s all thanks to you and your ragtag group of friends.” Levi looked down as he murmured, “I’m going to truly miss you all.”

The pastel brunet felt his heart clench. Levi was more a person of action than words, but Eren felt special knowing that the man confided in him with his true feelings. He so desperately want to pull the man into a hug but now wasn’t a right time to do it.

Reaching for Levi’s hand with his own, Eren gave it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, don’t worry about it so much. I’ll be with you two soon and knowing my friends, they’re probably going to visit us once they finish their semester.” Chuckling, Eren added, “And you’ll probably regret those words once they visit. They’re going to drag you around the city to show them around and you might get in trouble along the way.”

Levi chuckled along with Eren. “I guess you’ll have to record it then. It sounds like it would be a great adventure video for your fans.”

Eren’s smile grew wider and they both continued to chuckle.

“Hey, lovebirds! Stop flirting and get our food already! My lady needs to eat soon!”

Connie smirked when the two YouTubers jump from surprise shout. Winking at their blushing faces, he yelped when he felt a kick to his shins. “Ow! Mikasa, why did you do that?” he grumbled.

The little girl narrowed her eyes at him. “They were having a moment.”

Rolling his eyes, he looked at her before tilted his head to the girl beside him. “Oh, trust me. You do _not_ want to hear any more of the grumbling coming from her stomach or her mouth. She needs food, like, right now.”

As if on cue, Sasha’s stomach loudly growled and a groan shortly followed after.

Huffing, Mikasa crossed her arms as she leaned back into her chair. Historia giggled at the behavior and patted her head. “It’s going to be all right, Mikasa. Just have a bit of patience and before you know it, Eren will be with you guys and they’ll have lots of chances to confess to each other.”

Mikasa nodded in agreement, but there was a slight pout on her face. “I know, but I don’t like waiting. It’s going to take forever because they are both dumb,” she groaned.

The rest of the group chuckled, knowing that she was right. Historia hid her smile, trying not to tell the girl that she might have said a few things to Levi the day before. It was just a little advice for him, but hopefully he took it as a nudge to the right direction.

Levi and Eren came back with trays of their food and drinks (one tray was solely for Sasha). They finished eating their breakfast soon enough, but sat around and talked until it was time for the Ackermans to head to the security area to have their carry-ons screened.

The walk there was silent except for the sound of their footsteps and the wheels of the carry-ons rolling. The group stopped just a bit away from the line-up and Levi turned around to look at them. “Well, I guess this it. Thanks for showing us proper Canadian hospitality and dragging us out in freezing cold weather to see ice sculptures.”

Jean and Connie chuckled as they playfully punched either side of the man’s arms. “We’re going to miss you too, Mr. Corporal and little Knight. Come visit us again, yeah?” Connie asked with a grin.

Levi gave him a small smile. “Sure. But next time, we’re coming here in the summer. I do not want to experience another snowball and water gun fight with you fuckers around.”

There was more laughter as everyone said their individual farewells and hugs (for Mikasa anyway, Levi just stuck with handshakes) except for Eren. Nodding to her friends, Sasha said, “I guess we’ll be heading off now. We’ll be waiting at the food court, Eren. Bye Levi, bye Mikasa! Have a safe trip!” The group took off right after once wishing for a safe flight for the two.

Then it was just Levi, Mikasa, and Eren left.

The two stared at Eren with sad looks on their faces and it broke Eren’s heart.

Crouching down, Eren hugged Mikasa tightly. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Then we’ll have tons of fun playing games and showing me around the city. We’ll also do each other’s hair and everyday will be like a slumber party, alright?”

Mikasa didn’t say in reply, but Eren felt her head nod. Letting go of her slightly, Eren tucked some of the stray hairs behind her ear and leaned over to place a small peck on her forehead. “You said you’ll protect me, so you gotta stay strong my little Knight.”

The girl sniffled and rapidly blinked to not shed any tears. She looked at Eren with a determined look and nodded. “I will do anything my Queen asks me to.”

Grinning, Eren linked his pinky with hers, just like the first day that they met, and shook on it before standing up to shift his attention to Levi.

It was so, so hard for Eren to not hug the man in front of him, but Eren restrained himself from doing so.

As if reading his mind, Levi surprised Eren and pulled him in for a hug.

After getting over his initial shock, Eren relaxed his body and wrapped his arms around Levi, holding him closer. “I’ll see you soon, eh?”

Eren smiled when he felt instead of heard Levi’s chuckle. “You Canadians, I swear,” he said fondly. “We’ll talk over through Skype to go over the paperwork bullshit and then you can have all the fun in the sun soon enough.”

The brunet just nodded and held the man tighter, not willing to let him go.

Levi slowly pulled away from his grasp, even though he didn’t want to, they had a plane to catch.

Looking at the brunet’s face, Levi thought back to Historia’s words. Mentally preparing himself, he stood on his toes and gave a quick kiss on Eren’s cheek. “See you again, Eren,” he whispered as he pulled away.

Levi turned around and head towards security, not daring to look back. Glancing to his side, he saw that Mikasa quickly followed him with a smile on her face. _“Finally,”_ she mumbled.

Blushing, Levi mumbled a half-hearted threat of grounding her once they get back home as they waited in line for their carry-on screening.

They didn’t look back.

But if they did, they would see a blushing brunet as he walked away with a hand on his cheek and a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /runs away


	33. Withdrawal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Levi is experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once you finish this chapter, take a lookie at the wonderful fanart this week! :D
> 
> ♥ [Skype call](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/130929336216/the-brunet-smiled-at-the-camera-and-levi-wanted-to) with Eren? Yes please! Thank you to honeybun cetlii for the adorable art!  
> ♥ heichoupurr drew such a [smol Eren](http://heichoupurr.tumblr.com/post/130988438191/that-phone-shadow-though-sorry-i-tried-a-mini) with blushy cheeks!  
> ♥ No one can prove that I drooled over imasmi‘s [kinda-pastel punk!Levi](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/131010732219/nice-shirt-by-the-way-click-on-my-heart-by)! ;D

_“Dad, look! I’m doing it!”_

The video clip showed Mikasa standing up on the ice in her full winter gear, holding onto someone’s hand as she did so.

 _“Steady there, Mikasa. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,”_ a very familiar voice replied to her.

The camera zooms out to reveal Levi standing right next to her in his skates, holding her hand tightly with a small smile was on his face.

 _“Woo! Go, Mikasa!”_ someone off-camera said.

Another voice joined in as well. _“C’mon little knight, you can do it!”_

The video shook a bit as the person who was holding the camera assumingly skates backwards. And unlike the other voices, this one was much louder and clearer to hear. _“You’re doing great, Mikasa! You’re a natural at this!”_

Levi paused the video and let out a sigh.

A week passed by since their departure and already Levi was experiencing what Mikasa calls “Eren Withdrawal” symptoms.

Lack of sleep, wistfully sighing, watching a whole bunch more of Eren’s videos, and constant re-organization the guestroom for Eren’s arrival (which won’t be for another few weeks at the least), were only some of the “Eren Withdrawal” symptoms.

The man groaned, wondering how his life ended up like this.

_‘It’s because you fell in love.’_

Oh, right.

Levi lifted his head up to look at the ceiling but yelped instead when he saw a maniac grin of his crazy friend. “Hange, what the fuck?!”

Hange just grinned. “Hello my grumpy smittened smurf, how are you today?”

The raven scrunched up his nose at the nickname Hange bestowed on him ever since they found out about his interest in Eren. “I was doing perfectly fine in the privacy of my bedroom until some freak decided to sneak their way in.”

They just laughed at the reply. “In other words, you’re doing great.” Hange lifted their eyes to look at the screen and they had a massive grin on their face. “Oh, Levi. Sweet, sweet Levi. You’re so whipped~”

Holding onto an armrest, Hange spun Levi’s chair as they ran out of the room laughing.

Latching on to his desk to stop spinning, Levi growled as he rushed out and followed them downstairs. It was probably when he reached the last step that he smelled something coming from the kitchen.

Following the scent, he saw that Hange and Mike were sitting at the table, each with their plate of waffles, and a large stack of waffles placed across from them. He just stared at them, and then at the plate of waffles, and then back to them again.

There was a pause before Levi sighed. Walking over to the table, he plopped himself onto the chair and pulled the plate of waffles closer to him. “Syrup.”

He didn’t say anything as a bottle slid across the table to him. Opening the cap, he poured a generous of the syrup all over the waffles before closing it and giving it back to Mike to do the same thing. Levi cut the waffles into bite-sized pieces before placing one in his mouth.

Levi groaned as he ate another one. “That’s some good shit right there.”

“I know, right? I never thought that legit maple syrup would taste this good,” Hange said as they poured more of the syrup on their plate.

“Oi, you’re gonna waste it. I didn’t come back with a suitcase full of maple syrup just for you to use it up in one shot you know.”

Hange just waved him off. “It’s fine. Besides, you can ask Eren to send you some more. I’m sure your little sweetie would be happy to.”

Levi scoffed as he ate another piece, trying to will down the blush that was threatening to appear. “Eren’s not my “sweetie”, Hange.”

“You could’ve fooled us, Levi. With all those vlog videos on Eren’s King channel, your fans and Eren’s fans are going absolutely crazy,” Mike said. Taking a look at what Levi was wearing, he smirked as he added, “Nice shirt, by the way.”

Levi wanted to throw his waffle at the blond, but it was a waste of a perfectly good waffle, so he put it in his mouth instead.

Swallowing so he doesn’t spit food everywhere, he growled. “Oh, fuck off. I can’t control what the fans think, you should know that by now or should I remind you of all those fanfictions and questions from fans wondering if I was banging every single one of you guys.” The pale man rolled his eyes as ignored the two’s laughter as he ate another piece. “And Eren gave this shirt to me and I couldn’t really say no.”

No one could blame him really. The moment Eren batted his long lashes was enough for Levi to cave and say yes and keep the shirts Eren was working on for the online store.

Levi was currently wearing one of Eren’s new designs. It was a [black shirt with a ribcage design](https://www.etsy.com/listing/163527380/sprinkles-ribcage-skeleton-t-shirt-fairy?ref=shop_home_active_1) on it, but the ribcage was in gradient pastel colors to cater more to Eren’s website aesthetic.

Admittedly, the shirt was pretty decent. Levi felt extremely flattered when Eren told him that he inspired a new line of “punk-inspired” shirts and accessories for the online store and worked on it during his stay at the Yeagers.

“Whatever you say, Levi,” Hange said, breaking Levi away from his thoughts. “When is Eren coming, by the way? I want to meet the precious honeybun already!”

 _‘Don’t we all,’_ Levi thought as he rolled his eyes. “Soon, Hange. We still need to work out a lot of details since Eren would be staying and working here. Lots of paperwork needs to be done and weeks of waiting. Trust me, I really want Eren to get here soon, but we’re doing the paperwork as fast as we can. If all goes well, we hope that everything will finalize by the end of February, which gives me time on my end to schedule recording days for the little brats to play.” Levi ate the last piece of his waffle and licked his lips of any remnants of syrup he may have missed.

Mike nodded at the answer. “That sounds good. Armin is really excited to start recording and already started making a list of games they could potentially play.”

Levi wiped his mouth with a napkin and placed it on the table. “Leave it to Armin to be a keener. Just have him send me the list to make sure we could record and do game captures.”

“Work, work, work, that’s all you ever talk about,” Hange complained. “C’mon, Eren isn’t going to be here strictly for work, ya know? Has there been any progress between you two since a week ago?”

Levi gave them a half-hearted glare. “Not really. We do talk to each other through Skype every day, but Eren hasn’t mentioned anything about the kiss.” Levi shrugged before he continued, “I don’t want to bring it up either because I don’t want to make it awkward between us since Eren is going to be living here. But still, I was hoping that there would be a reaction of some sort. Guess I still need to work on it, eh?”

Mike let out a small smile when he saw Levi’s dejected demeanor. It wasn’t very apparent, but after knowing the man for so long, it was pretty obvious that Levi was disgruntled with the situation. “It’ll be fine, Levi. Just take it slow and wait until Eren actually gets here before you do dumb stuff to impress your little crush,” Mike reassured.

“That’s right!” Hange agreed. “Until then, we can think of ways on how to get you two together,” they added with a wink.

The raven let out a huff but a small smile was on his face. “Thanks.”

* * *

A little pop-up with Eren’s name appeared on the bottom right corner of the screen. Levi didn’t even need to click on it until Eren’s name appeared again a few seconds later, but this time, it was requesting a video call.

Quickly accepting, Levi straightened his hair and sat up straight. Taking a glance of what was underneath Eren’s name on screen; Levi noted Eren had a “♂” symbol.

The video was still blurry, but Levi could still hear the shuffling sounds on Eren’s end.

The lag didn’t last long until Levi was graced with Eren’s smiling face once more.

“Hiya Levi!” the brunet greeted with a smile.

Levi relaxed in his seat as he greeted back. “Good afternoon, Eren. How are you today?”

Eren chuckled. “I’m fine, thank you for asking. Hey, you’re wearing the shirt!”

The man took a quick glance down before nodding to the camera. “Yeah, it’s nice.”

The brunet flushed and Levi resisted the urge to fly back to the cold country to hug the precious thing. Damn Eren for being so adorable and damn him for making Levi miss his presence.

Levi watched Eren’s face light up as he talked about his day and making hand gestures as he did so. The brunet was always so animated and Levi enjoyed listening to him talk. He could be talking about physics for all Levi cared and he would still pay attention as long as the brunet keeps smiling like that.

“Holy.”

The man raised an eyebrow at that. “What is it?”

Levi saw Eren’s eyebrows scrunch together as he tilted his head in confusion. “Nothing really, but for some reason, the latest vlog I posted already has 200,000 views and it hasn’t even been 24 hours yet.”

The gamer shrugged at that. “I don’t know, Eren. It was just about us skating.”

Eren made a noise of agreement. “Yeah. My vlogs tend to get around 50,000 or so within a day, so this is unusual.”

Levi bit his lips as he saw Eren’s face darted down, most likely checking out the comments on the video. He knew what they were about, but he didn’t want to say anything about it.

“Oh,” Eren nervously chuckled. “It seems like everyone is wondering if we’re dating or something.”

Not knowing what to say, Levi just nodded. He felt his heart stammering from just _imagining_ about being together with Eren.

_‘Get your shit together, Levi.’_

Eren let out a nervous chuckle. “I wonder what would happen when I tell them that we’ll be living together soon.”

“Who knows?” Levi replied in a cool voice, but was trying his best not to fidget in his seat from excitement.

The brunet smiled at the camera and Levi wanted to faint. That was a totally unfair move. “We’ll just tease the viewers for a little while longer, eh?” he winked.

Levi could feel his resolve break each time Eren does that. At this rate, all Eren would have to do is call Levi by his name and he would be ready to do anything the pastel angel asks him to do.

There was a voice muffled in the background on Eren’s end. Levi watched as Eren replied back to it and gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry Levi, I gotta go help Mom go grocery shopping. I’ll speak with you later, yeah?”

Levi nodded as he ignored the feeling of his heart dropping from the brunet’s departure. “Sure. Mikasa would be home by then and I’m sure she’ll love to talk to you as well.”

“Sounds good! Talk to you soon!” Eren smiled as he waved.

Levi waved back until the call got disconnected and Eren signed out.

The man groaned as he looked up to the ceiling, experiencing the same feelings he had earlier that day.

It sucked having Eren Withdrawal.


	34. Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Roses are red,_   
>  _Violets are blue,_   
>  _Sugar is sweet,_   
>  _And so are you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, my heart is not going to make it because of you lovelies. Check the fanart out after reading this chapter (or else you might spoil yourself~)! ^^
> 
> ♥ This chapter is full of feels, and nayawata did a great job in showing Eren’s [facial expression](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/131408255475/click-on-my-heart-chapter-34-cocoachoux-thanks) with the roses!  
> ♥ I’m enchanted by candied-cravat beautiful artwork, just like how [Eren is enchanted](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/131461685536/queen-pastel-eren-from-click-on-my-heart-chapter) with the lavender rose!  
> ♥ I don’t care if this isn’t technically fanart, but it’s COMH-related because nikitachikita005 showed me the amazingness that is the [manatea tea infuser](http://nikitachikita005.tumblr.com/post/131646154495/nikitachikita005-so-ive-been-reading)! Also, imasmi is a wonderful human being who drew a [future COMH scene](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/131710920149/cocoachoux-nikitachikita005-nikitachikita005-so) with it!  
> ♥ anyonecanfindlove did an [amazing makeup job](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/131717934829/anyonecanfindlove-took-a-lot-of-editing) as our Queen!  
> ♥ And floradoodle is back to steal our hearts with another [cute Eren](http://floradoodle.tumblr.com/post/131830847363/queen-pastel-eren-from-cocoachoux-s)!

_Knock knock._

“Come in!” Eren answered as she did the last stoke of eyeliner.

Carla opened the door a bit and poked her head in. “Are you ready to go yet, sweetie?”

“Almost!” she replied as the door shut close, quiet footsteps walking away from the door.

Eren twisted her head side to side in front of the vanity mirror to make sure her makeup was on properly. Satisfied, she brushed her hair back to put on a wig cap and tucked in any of her loose strands before placing on a long, wavy brown wig that was the same color as her real hair. Running her fingers through the wig to make sure it wasn’t tangled; she adjusted it to make sure it was on her natural hairline.

Taking a step back, Eren looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a simple [pink sweater with black stars](http://41.media.tumblr.com/63a3ee5f33dc15c3e2c997b55b3d80dc/tumblr_n6les5gRXm1sradjro8_400.jpg) printed on it, along with a black skirt with white leggings underneath to protect her from the cold weather outside. Her makeup was pretty simple, pink smokey eye to make her green and gold eyes pop, even with her glasses covering them. Eren grabbed the pink lip gloss from the vanity and applied it on and making smacking sounds with her lips to make sure it applied on evenly.

She twirled from her spot, but frowned when she looked at herself, feeling as though something was missing.

Eren looked at her reflection for a few moments. Pondering, she opening the drawer of her vanity and rummaged through the various accessories in there until she found what she was looking for.

The brunette leaned over to take a closer look at herself as she placed a white and black rose headband. Smiling, she also put on a pair of black studs in her ears to complete her look.

Eren was about to close the drawer until she saw three skull rings hiding in the corner. Picking them up to inspect them, she wondered where they came from as it wasn’t something she would usually get for herself.

_‘Oh right, it was from the mysterious Mr. R.’_

Mr. R. he and his daughter have sent a few fanmail packages to Eren for several weeks until she posted up the announcement video letting people know that she would be moving and needed to switch PO Boxes.

They have been very generous with their packages and Eren felt overwhelmed each time she opened them. The contents usually change, but it was always full of cute items and catered to Eren's interests.

The rings were from the last fanmail package they sent. There was one skull on each ring, but they were in different colors: white, pink, and purple. Normally, these rings wouldn’t be something Eren would wear, but the skulls ‘eyes’ were actually hearts, and each skull had a tiny black bow off on the side.

They were perfect for her outfit.

Slipping two rings on her index and middle finger on her left hand, she slipped on the white one on her ring finger on her right hand.

Eren stretched out her fingers, marvelling on how nice it looked, especially with her pastel galaxy nails she did the day before.

Grabbing her phone, she selected the proper filter before taking a picture and posting it on her Instagram page.

Finally happy with how she looked, she tuck some hair behind her ear as she left her room to meet her parents already waiting at the foyer.

“Ah, looks like her Majesty finally decided to join us,” Grisha commented.

Eren childishly stuck her tongue at him while avoiding his hand that was reaching to ruffle her hair. As much as she loved her dad, it took way too long to get the wig this way for it to be ruined now.

Carla watched her daughter as she went into the closet to grab her off-white peacoat with an eyebrow raised.

“Eren?”

“Mm?” Eren replied as she walked over to grab her boots.

“You look different than usual.”

“Oh?” she absentmindedly questioned.

“Yes, you look… how do I say it? Darker?” Carla answered.

Grisha looked at Eren with a tilt with his head as he raised an eyebrow. “She’s right, Eren. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear this much black before. Is everything okay?”

Eren waved her right hand at him in dismissal. “I’m fine, Dad. I thought I would change it up a bit, that’s all. I still look cute though, no?” she giggled.

Even though Eren was smiling, Grisha didn’t really hear the rest of what she said as he was too focused on the particular object that was waving around. “Eren? What’s on your finger?”

The brunette blinked as she her dad grabbed her hand to inspect it. “Dad? Wha-”

“When were you going to tell us?!”

Eren looked shocked at her dad’s menacing glare as he clutched her hand tighter. “Dad, please let go. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Young lady, I am just asking when you were going to tell us that you were seeing someone.”

Eren’s look of shock morphed into confusion. “I seriously have no idea what you’re talking abo-”

“Is it Levi? I bet it’s him. Thinking about it now, the flowers make sense,” Grisha accused, still holding on to Eren’s hand.

“I-what? What flowers? Dad, you’re not making any sense!” Eren exasperatedly exclaimed, flushing at the thought of being together with Levi.

Watching the two talk back and forth with each other, Carla couldn’t hold back her giggles anymore as she burst out laughing.

The two stopped whatever argument they were having as they looked at the woman leaning on the wall for support, clutching her sides as she calmed herself down.

“Grisha,” Carla giggled. “Honey, you’re holding Eren’s _right_ hand.”

There was a pause.

One blink. Two blinks. “Oh.”

Grisha slowly let go of Eren’s hand as he sheepishly looked at his daughter. “Sorry.”

Eren rolled her eyes, as she lightly punched him in the shoulder with the same hand he was clutching a few seconds ago. “Yeah, yeah.” Willing down her blush, she looked at him. “So, what did you mean by flowers?”

“Ah, that’s right,” Carla said as she moved to the front door. “It looks like your friends from the States would like to congratulate you.” Eren’s eyes followed her as she gestured to the side table that had a large bouquet of flowers lying on top.

They were roses, but there were so many of them bundled together.

Eren walked over to the table and picked up the bouquet to take a closer look at them. It looked like two dozen roses in total. The flowers were in an assortment of colors and the brunette decided to count them all, not noticing her parent's watchful eyes.

13 pink roses, six orange roses, five red roses, and one lavender rose; 25 roses in total.

Eren took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh from the light scent of the bouquet. Seeing a tag that was attached, she flipped it over to see what it said.

_'Congratulations on your graduation, Eren._

_We will see you soon._

_Levi & Mikasa'_

The brunette was grinning at the message. Levi probably did an order online and typed in the message himself. It was short, straight to the point, and there were no exclamation marks, but it was so Levi to do that.

Eren glanced over and almost laughed at the little stuffed bear sitting on the table. It was wearing the traditional graduation cap and robe, and it was also holding a diploma. Eren was 100% sure that it was Mikasa who wanted to send one, and Levi, weak to his daughter’s wishes, (reluctantly) added the bear to the order.

It was what? A few weeks? A month? A month since Eren first met the two and she already knew the two’s mannerisms with each other.

The brunette smiled fondly as she caressed the petals of the lone lavender rose, wishing the two would be there with her to see her graduate on stage. Thankfully though, Historia promised to record the whole ceremony and will send it to the family across the border.

Grisha cleared his throat to grab Eren’s attention. He chuckled when he saw her jump in surprise, most likely because she didn’t realize she was being watched. The man’s heart ached a bit when he saw Eren’s distant fond look when she was reading the card from their old houseguests. And even though Carla told him to be strong, he felt as though Eren was already so far away.

Kids grow up so fast.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, in a few hours, he will be watching Eren walk across the stage with her bright smile, another chapter in her life completed before moving on to the next one.

At this rate, Grisha wouldn’t be able to handle walking Eren down the aisle without breaking down in tears. “Are you ready to go, Eren?”

“Mm. Almost. I’ll just go put these away, okay?” Eren said as she dashed away to the kitchen.

Watching his daughter disappear, he felt his wife’s hug from behind. “Carla?”

Carla squeezed tighter as she rested her head on to his back. “Our little Eren has grown up so much. She’s graduating today and then she’ll be off to another country away from us.”

Grisha blinked back the tears he was holding in as he turned around and returned her hug. “I know,” he said as he placed a small kiss on her head. “But _you_ were the one who told _me_ to be understanding, right?”

The woman giggled as she felt her husband tickle her sides. Pulling away, she lightly smacked his chest. “Oh, stop it. You know you’re the big sap between us.”

Grisha chuckled as he tucked her hair behind her ears. “I guess so.”

“Do you know what 25 roses mean?” she suddenly asked.

Not much of a gardener or florist, he shook his head. “No. What do they mean?”

“25 roses mean congratulations. However, it seems like Levi did some research about the different colors and number of roses,” she said in a teasing voice.

The man huffed as pulled her closer. “So, tell me, what do they mean?”

Lost in their world, they didn’t even hear Eren come back with a vase of roses. “Gross! Mom, Dad, stop being so lovey dovey and let’s go!” she said with no venom, totally used to her parent’s loving gestures. Placing the vase on the side table, she laced up her black boots and opened the door. “Meet you in the car!”

The parents chuckled as they watched their daughter leave the house. Quickly, Carla pulled Grisha down to whisper the meanings in his ear. She laughed at Grisha’s pouty face as they followed their daughter out the house.

Before closing the door shut, Carla smiled at the beautifully arranged roses.

She locked the doors and headed to the car where Eren was sitting in the back and Grisha in the driver’s seat, still looking dejected.

Sitting down at the passenger seat, she looked at the side door mirror to see Eren on her phone, most likely texting Levi thank you for the flowers and Mikasa for the bear.

Giggling to herself, Carla wondered how long it would take for Eren to finally realize the true meaning of those roses as they drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like chapter 3 all over again when I had to research different kinds of flowers and their meanings. This time, it was about roses.
> 
> For those who are curious what the numbers and colours mean, here you go:
> 
> 25 Roses – Congratulations  
> 13 Roses – Secret admirer ( _Pink roses:_ Appreciation and Admiration)  
>  6 Roses – Infatuation; I want to be yours ( _Orange roses:_ Enthusiasm and Desire)  
>  5 Roses – I love you very much ( _Red roses_ : Love)  
> 1 Rose – Love at first sight ( _Lavender roses:_ Enchantment)


	35. Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen has landed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween everyone! Check below for some sweet treats. ;)
> 
> ♥ This is a literal dream come true because QueenPastelEren is real! Check out queen-pastel-eren‘s [first video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9b-Gw0NY1E)! :D  
> ♥ Bad, Levi, bad! Influencing Eren’s [sense of style](http://emptyinkbottle.tumblr.com/post/132253808117/were-gonna-pretend-i-was-queenpasteleren-this)! Thank you emptyinkbottle for letting us know about this!

“Dad.”

“Hm?” the man absentmindedly responded.

The little girl huffed as she watched him walk back in forth in front of her. “Calm down and sit here, I can literally hear your heartbeat right now.” Mikasa said in an irritated tone of voice, but amusement was apparent in her eyes as she saw him abruptly stop.

Levi didn’t move from his spot, and instead, looked out the windows to see multiple kinds of planes, wondering which one Eren was in.

Mikasa let out another huff and stood from her seat to tug on the sleeve of his leather jacket. “Dad, sit. If you’re standing up, you’ll probably hurt yourself when you faint from seeing Eren.”

“Mikasa!” Levi hissed, quickly following the girl to sit down next to her.

The girl didn’t bother to hide her smirk as she swung her feet, happy that he finally listened to her. Mikasa glanced over to her dad and saw that he was fidgeting in his seat and how his attention was back to the windows. She almost snorted as she remembered what has happened in the past few weeks in preparation for Eren’s arrival.

Levi had repainted the guest room and got some new furniture that would suit Eren’s tastes. He had also rearranged the guest room about 10 times in the last few days alone. The fridge and pantry was filled to the brim with food, and the house was cleaned spotless.

At first, it was funny to see him running around the house, trying to figure out what Eren may need to make videos and making them feel at home, but Mikasa stepped her foot down when it became more of a distraction and had to lock him in his own room to play games and make videos.

But now was finally the day.

Mikasa was in a great mood when she went to school, receiving knowing looks from Armin and Annie, and was counting down the time until the bell rang to signal the end of the day.

Once it did though, Levi immediately picked her up from school, barely letting her enough time to say her farewells to her friends, before going straight to the airport. (And Mikasa won’t comment the fact that he went way above the speed limit on their way there).

The little Ackerman reached out and placed her hand on top of Levi’s, giving him a reassuring smile. “Dad, it’s going to be okay. Eren will be with us soon, just be patient, okay?”

Levi stilled from the contact and looked at her in the eyes. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding in before he returned her smile. “Thank you, Mikasa. It’s kind of embarrassing to see your dad like this, huh?”

Mikasa giggled as she shook her head. “Nah. I know that you’re a dork, so it’s okay.”

Levi playfully rolled his eyes as he ruffled her hair. “You’re such a brat.”

“Hey! Stop it!” she laughed as she batted his hands away.

Instead of backing off, he moved his hands down to tickle her sides, smirking as she started to squeal and trying to wiggle away from him.

“Dad, Dad, stop! Mercy!” Mikasa said between her laughing fits.

“Let me think about it. Hm, nope.”

So invested in tickling her to death, he didn’t realize that a figure was approaching them.

“Now, now, Corporal, be nice to the little Knight.”

Levi immediately stopped what he was doing. He whipped his head around to the familiar voice and felt breathless looking at the person right next to the two.

_Eren._

Eren was finally here.

Levi felt his heart picking up speed as he saw Eren smiling at him. “Hello there,” Eren greeted.

Mikasa managed to get out of Levi’s tickle hold and ran up to Eren to give them a hug around their waist. “Eren!” she happily exclaimed.

Eren smiled as they gently patted her head before crouching down to give her a proper hug. “It’s good to see you too, Mikasa,” they giggled.

“What are your pronouns right now?” the question was a bit muffled from the hug, but Eren smiled as they started stroked her hair. “It was she/her when I got onto the plane, but now it’s he/him. Thank you for asking, Mikasa.”

Eren pulled away from the hug and looked Mikasa up and down. “You’re wearing the clothes I sent you,” he commented.

Mikasa looked down to the shirt she was wearing. It was one of the [graphic tees](https://www.etsy.com/listing/156433268/milky-dripping-crescent-moon-and-stars?ref=shop_home_active_6) from Eren’s store he sent to her as a gift for her birthday that passed a while ago, and also as an apology for missing it. It was a pink shirt with ombre stars and a crescent moon, but the moon was “dripping” to the bottom of the shirt to make it a cool and unique design. She also wore simple [white leggings](http://www.yesstyle.com/en/hyoty-lace-trim-elastic-cropped-leggings/info.html/pid.1045110933) that stopped just below her knees that had a lace trim on the bottom.

The little Ackerman nodded, smiling at Eren. “Yes! Thank you so much again, Eren. A lot of kids at school complimented me today.” She took a step back and spun around in her ballet flats, the smile still on her face.

She looked absolutely adorable and Eren just wanted to cuddle her forever.

Levi’s fingers were twitching to grab his phone to take a picture of the cute sight in front of him. He let out a sigh instead as he took a look at what Eren was wearing.

Eren decided to wear some light green jeans and white converse shoes. What was concerning though, was that Eren was wearing a grey, pink, and white [thick sweater with a white dress shirt underneath](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/131514194449/larimii-001-002-003-004).

In Eren’s defense, it was cold in Canada and the plane ride over tends to be drafty. But remembering the forecast, Eren would be sweating like crazy within a few minutes leaving the air conditioned airport.

Not that Levi was going to complain about a deliciously sweaty Eren though.

“Levi?”

Said man blinked a few times. Realizing Eren was directly right in front of him with his head tilt, Levi said the first thing that came to mind.

“You’re hot.”

Levi wondered what were the chances of a plane going off its runway to run him over.

He heard a distinct smacking sound behind Eren, most likely Mikasa face palming and wondering what she has done in her life to deserve such a dork of a dad, but he ignored it in favor of watching pink starting to dust across Eren’s cheeks as he nervously scratched his cheek. “Er…?”

“I mean, aren’t you hot? We’re getting out of here soon and I think you’re relatively overdressed for Cali weather,” Levi explained, mentally giving himself a pat on the back for his recovery.

The lovely blush that was on Eren’s face didn’t disappear as he looked down. “Ah, right. I was thinking of changing before we leave if you don’t mind.”

Levi nodded as Mikasa stood beside him. “That sounds good. Did you bring your luggage with you?”

“Yup! I think it should be on the belt now. Let’s go,” Eren said as he turned towards the luggage pick up.

It wasn’t hard to spot Eren’s luggage (baby blue was an unusual travel bag color after all) and they promptly went over to one of the secluded washrooms in the airport.

While waiting for Eren to finish changing, Levi wondered if he would need to take Eren shopping for more clothes since he would be staying in California for a long while. He lifted his head when he heard the door creak and mentally thanked Mikasa for making him sit down (again), because he was sure he was going to faint.

Cozy, snuggly-looking Eren was much different from “I’m really hot, figuratively and literally” Eren. The brunet decided to swap out his knitted sweater to an [oversized white tee](http://www.yesstyle.com/en/fairyland-short-sleeved-cat-print-t-shirt-navy-blue-one-size/info.html/pid.1043841099) with a black cat on it. The light green jeans were replaced by pink short shorts, making Levi bite his lips as he saw tanned and toned legs walk towards them. Gods, those legs would be the end of him, Levi was sure of it.

“Are we ready to go?”

Levi snapped his eyes up to Eren’s, wondering if the brunet knew that the gamer was checking him out. Clearing his throat, Levi nodded as he walked to the direction of the parking lot with Eren and Mikasa following behind him.

“Eren, you’re wearing the bracelet!” Mikasa commented.

Eren blinked at her before letting out a shy smile. “Ah, yeah. I wore it for good luck,” he chuckled nervously.

Levi glanced back and saw that Eren was wearing bracelet he gave him for Christmas. His heart did the stupid fluttering feeling and Levi scoffed to himself. “It looks good on you,” he decided to comment.

Eren gave him a gently smile Levi was 100% certain a litter of kittens gets born every time he did that. “Thank you again, Levi. And also thank you for the roses too and chocolate-dipped strawberries, my parents said thank you as well.”

Levi nodded. “Anytime, Eren.” Right after the roses, Levi decided to send chocolate-covered strawberries to the Yeager household for Valentine’s Day.

Though, he probably overdid it by sending two dozen of those desserts and told Eren to share it with his parents in his message.

Even though he could have professed his dying love for the pastel angel, he would rather much do it in person.

Mikasa glanced at the two with a knowing look and reached to grab Eren’s hand. “C’mon, Eren! We’re going to have a welcome party for you the faster we get home!”

Eren didn’t even have the chance to reply as he got dragged by the strong little girl. “Wait, Mikasa!”

The raven watched in amusement as Eren tried to keep up with her small but fast footsteps. “Get used to it, Eren. She’s the one who runs the house.” He chuckled when Mikasa turned her head to stick out her tongue at him.

Shaking his head, he followed the two out of the airport with the light, fluttery feeling still in his chest.

The Queen was finally here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re still in the Halloween spirit and want something really sweet, I wrote a [small fic](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/132266204594/trick-or-sweet) about smol!ereri celebrating their first Halloween together. ^^


	36. Fit for a Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing is caring, everyone~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Busy busy week~ Ereri Fluff Day is coming up so I need to prepare for that! Anyways, check the awesomeness this past week:
> 
> ♥ Okay, so last week was Halloween and _**I**_ decided to cosplay as [the Queen](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/132311783404/i-hope-that-everyone-had-a-lovely-halloween-i)! (It wasn’t very good, but I promise to do better next time! OTL)  
>  ♥ And the lovely heichoupurr drew such an [adorable and blushy Eren](http://heichoupurr.tumblr.com/post/132445541326/cocoachoux-heichoupurr-cocoachoux-um-ily)!

“Fucking hell, they’re already here.”

Levi resisted the urge to bash his head against the steering wheel when he saw the familiar cars parked along the house. “At least they didn’t park in the driveway,” he muttered.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine, Levi. I’m really excited to meet your friends,” Eren reassured.

The man shook his head as he parked on to the driveway. Sighing, he got out of the car and went to the trunk to grab Eren's luggage, while Eren and Mikasa grabbed the rest of the luggage in the back seat. Walking up the stairs to his house, he mentally prepared himself as he opened the door and was immediately pounced on.

"EREN!" Hange's shrilled voice yelled into his ear.

"Four-eyes, get off of me!"

"Oh, Levi, you're not Eren."

Levi rolled his eyes as he pushed them away from him. "No shit. Look before you leap, dumbass." They pouted at him but then their face brightened up as they looked behind to see Eren heading towards the doorway carrying his luggage. "Eren!" Zooming pass Levi, they latched on to Eren and pulled him into a hug.

Eren's look of confusion was adorable, and Levi bit the inside of his mouth in order to not say anything out loud in the presence of Hange. Clearing his throat, he pulled back the botanist from further suffocating the poor brunet. "Eren, this is Hange. Four-eyes, this is Eren. And- HANGE!" They had managed to turn around and licked the side of his face in order to have him let go of his hold on them. "That's disgusting!" He quickly went through his pockets to pull out some wipes (in case of emergencies and this qualifies as an emergency) and scrubbed his face with it. "Fucking animal," he muttered.

Eren tried not to laugh, he really did, but he couldn't help it. Not even a minute of being introduced and he knew that he'll like being around this person. "It's nice to meet you, Hange," he said after he calmed himself down.

"Yes! I made the little sugar muffin laugh! And it's nice to finally meet you, Eren, I'm a huge fan of your videos. What're your pronouns right now?"

The brunet felt elated, happy that they have watched his stuff and liked it. "It's he/him right now, you?"

"My pronouns are they/them," they grinned as they looked Eren up and down. "Ouuu, you're so adorable! Come, I bet the others would love to meet you!"

Before Levi could prevent it, Hange linked their arms with Eren and dragged him into the house towards the kitchen.

Mikasa looked up at her dad, who was rubbing his temples and muttering under his breath, and poked him on his side. "You better hurry up and save him, Dad. He's going to get gobbled up if you don't."

Realizing what she said was true, he quickly sped walk to the direction of the kitchen where all the sound was coming from. Turning a corner, he went in to the kitchen and saw that Hange was still holding on to Eren as they stood next to the kitchen island. Isabel, Farlan and Erwin were already sitting on the bar stools while Mike was rummaging through the fridge. Levi felt his eyes twitch as he saw the balloons and streamers hung around (no doubt it was Hange and Isabel's idea), and a ‘WELOME!’ banner that ran across the wall. There were snacks and drinks on the table where Armin and Annie were sitting together and there was even some background music playing at the corner of the room.

Hange perked up when they saw Levi at the entryway. "Levi, how nice of you to join us! I already introduced Eren to everyone for ya."

The man rolled his eyes as he approached them. "Gee, thanks. And thanks for messing up my impeccable house."

They laughed as if it was a hilarious joke. "No problem! We thought the house looked a bit too bare for the arrival of the Queen."

Eren flushed when all eyes were on him. "Er, thank you for this. It's nice to meet you all in real life than through your livestreams."

"Oh? You watch the livestreams as well?" Erwin asked.

"Yeah. I try my best to see it live, but it usually runs until midnight in my timezone."

"But you can join us now, right?" Isabel asked.

Eren looked at Levi for a moment before nodding. "Not for a week or two until I settle down. We decided that I'll make an announcement using a house tour video first once everything is unpacked and I get all the necessary equipment that I'll need. Once that's uploaded, I'll be making regular appearances on the livestream. Oh! And we decided that we'll be working on a few videos for the kids gaming channel in the next few weeks before uploading the channel trailer video."

Farlan let out a low whistle. "Wow. Levi, you're going to work him to death."

"He wouldn't ever do that. In fact, he would rather do the opposite," Mike said with a wink, laughing as he saw Levi's blush and choice finger directed at him. The tall blond man walked behind Eren and bent down to take a sniff at the nape of his neck.

"Uhm?"Eren looked confused as he saw everyone else's amused face.

"Oh, don't mind my husband too much. It's what he does," Erwin waved off.

Mike pulled back and smirked. "Nice. Hey, Erwin, can we keep him?" The man looped his arms around Eren and pulled him against his chest. Eren never really considered himself small, but compared to the giant man behind him, he felt like a kitten being held by a large dog.

Erwin's eyes twinkled with amusement went he heard a growl behind him. "Hm, I wouldn't oppose. I'm sure Armin wouldn't mind it either."

There was a blur of black before Mikasa magically appeared in front of Eren, wrapping her arms around his waist. "No! Eren's staying with us!" she pouted.

Mike chuckled as he let go of Eren and ruffled Mikasa’s hair. “Fine, fine. I guess that means we’ll be coming over a lot more now since we’re still getting to know each other.”

Everyone in the room ignored Levi’s groans of protest as Armin and Annie walked over and stood next to Mikasa. “Eren, do you need help with unpacking?” Armin asked.

Eren smiled as he ran his fingers through the little blond’s hair. “Sure, if you don’t mind. Actually, I brought some maple syrup candies and other chocolates to share with you all as well.”

At the prospect of getting sweets, the kids tugged him out of the kitchen with Eren excusing himself as he followed them. Levi’s eyes lingered to where left off to until he felt someone poke his cheek.

“Hey, Levi, you can stop looking now, he’s gone,” Isabel said.

Levi let out a deep breath as he trudged his way to the kitchen island where his friends were and plopped down on the barstool; resting his head on his crossed arms on the table. “I’m so fucked.”

Hange cackled as they not-so-gently patted his back. “Nah, you’re just in love.”

The man groaned as he buried his face further into his arms. “Guys, I think I’ll end up dying from cuteness sometime in the near future, remember me as I was.”

Farlan rolled his eyes at that. “Stop being so dramatic, Levi. Though I will admit, he is much cuter in real life than I expected.”

“Right, right. A real cutie-patootie. Has he figured out or said anything about the roses you sent?” Hange asked. They pouted when they saw his head shake side to side. “Aw, that’s no fun! I thought maybe he would’ve figured it out by the time he got here and then you two would start dating already.”

“Now, now, give it some time. Eren just landed so his main concern is getting everything finalized and getting used to the city,” Erwin said, always being the moderator of the group. “It would actually be a great opportunity to spend time with Eren if you take him shopping and showing him some good places to eat. I’m sure it would be beneficial for him too since he makes those adventure vlogs.”

Levi lifted his head and stared at him with a thoughtful look. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I know that Eren likes to see new things and trying new food and we live in L.A. where there’s a shit ton of stuff going on every night. I’m sure he would happy to go explore and make videos out of it.”

“And you can romance him too. Take him to the Santa Monica pier or to El Matador beach at night for something more secluded,” Mike suggested as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Levi snorted as the rest of the group laughed. “Sure. I’ll woo him by making him sick.”

“Ah, but you wouldn’t complain about Eren in a swimsuit though.”

“Touché.”

* * *

 

“This is going to be my room?”

Eren stared around in awe of the mint green room he was in. The furniture was either white or off-white in color and there was even a vanity off to the side. There was a queen-sized canopy bed with baby pink sheets and purple pillows near the door. There was even a space to do any filming, equipped with fancy lighting and a tripod in a corner. He squealed in delight when he saw that there was a glass door that leads to the balcony, and a computer area right next to it.

He walked around the room, breathing in the crisp, clean scent of lemons. Eren’s heart fluttered from Levi’s sheer generosity. Not only did he welcomed Eren with opened arms (not literally, but Eren could always dream), but he also got everything Eren may need in order to be more comfortable.

The man went above and beyond his expectations, and it made him swoon.

“Yup! Dad was really annoying about it though. He kept on rearranging the furniture and buying stuff that he thought that you may need,” Mikasa said as she placed some of the luggage near the end of the bed.

Eren felt special, the feeling in his chest didn’t go away yet. Just knowing that Levi was running around the house frantically to make sure everything was ready for his arrival made Eren want to go downstairs and kiss the man as thanks.

The brunet felt excited and hopeful. He had a feeling that Levi may like him as well, but was hesitant on it.

But that was okay with Eren, he could wait. Call him cruel, but Eren gets immensely happy when Levi fumbles with his words around him, or see the gamer’s face flush pink whenever Eren initiates any physical contact.

Eren shook his head. No time for that now, he had plenty of time for it later. For now, he needs to unpack before heading downstairs to get to know Levi’s friends better. As first impressions go, they were an unusual bunch, but Eren couldn’t say much about that since his own friends were also like that.

Remembering that he didn’t message his friends yet, he moved to the balcony with his camera and took a photo of the room and captioned it with: _‘Fit for a Queen ;P’_ before sending it.

He chuckled at the immediate responses from his friends, ranging from _‘Glad you arrived safely’_ to _‘Fuck you, I hope you get sunburned. Also, say hi to the Corp for me.’_ He pocketed his phone in his pink short shorts somehow and continued to unpack with the kids’ help.

It was probably an hour or so of putting away clothes and little trinkets, but they managed to get everything unpacked. During their time unpacking, Eren got to know more about Annie and Armin, what they like and some funny stories they had about their parents or about school. The two blonds were just as adorable as Mikasa and Eren couldn’t wait to start making videos with them.

There was a knock on the door and Levi poked his head through. “Hey, you guys must be hungry. Mike and Farlan started up the grill if you want to go down to get something.”

Eren nodded as he watched the kids leave first. He watched Levi take a look around the room, but his eyes lingered on the bed. The brunet followed his gaze and smiled when he saw the heart-printed teddy bear. “Ah, a family got that for me during my first fanmail opening livesteam,” he explained.

Levi nodded, and Eren noticed a flash of recognition in his eyes. Maybe he got one for Mikasa before? She had the same look on her face when she took it out of his bag when they were unpacking but didn’t say anything about it.

Levi cleared his throat. “C’mon. Let’s go before the idiots decide to burn down the house by accident.” Eren laughed as he followed the man out of the room.

Walking behind Levi, Eren absentmindedly played with the bracelet, happy to know that starting today, he would be living with him and his daughter under the same roof, and that there would be many adventures to come.


	37. Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not saying it’s a date, but it’s pretty much a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by magickitt and their [lovely drawing](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/132647327068/spoiled-rotten)~ Also, check out the magnificent artwork this week!
> 
> ♥ magickitt is magic and created this beauty that is [Eren in a babydoll](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/132969345988/catching-up-on-comh-and-then-had-to-drop)!  
> ♥ Time for more feels because candied-cravat did [different scenes of this chapter](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/132829859091/some-doodles-for-chapter-37-of-click-on-my)!  
> ♥ And saucysasaki shared this wonderful drawing of our Queen with the most [kissable lips](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/133224610034/saucysasaki-the-text-was-cut-off-a-little-but-i)!

Eren hummed as she delicately transferred the crepe off the pan and onto the plate with the stack of freshly-made crepes. She was pouring in the batter for the next one to cook when she heard little footsteps going down the stairs. Eren didn’t even bother to hide her smile as she heard the little footsteps coming closer and closer until she felt little arms hugging her from behind. “Good morning, Mikasa,” she said as she patted the little girl’s head, keeping an eye out for the crepe so it doesn’t burn.

“Good morning, Eren,” Mikasa replied with a yawn. She nuzzled into the hand that was petting her before backing away. “What’re you making?”

“I thought it would be nice to have some crepes this morning. Would you like some?”

The little girl beamed as she clapped her hands in excitement. “Yes, please. Eren’s cooking is the best!”

Eren giggled as she placed the last crepe onto the stack. “Thank you, Mikasa. What kind of stuff do you like in your crepes? There’s peanut butter, Nutella, honey, and lots of fruit. I can also make eggs if you want something a bit more savory. Oh! And there’s ham and cheese in the fridge as well.”

Mikasa smiled as she shook her head. “It’s okay, Eren. Fruits are yummy.”

Nodding, Eren placed the stack of crepes on the kitchen island. “Mikasa, do you mind waking up your dad while I prepare the fruits?”

“Okay!” she did a mock salute before dashing out of the kitchen.

Eren was cutting up the last few strawberries when she heard a loud thud and a muffled voice – most likely a muffled loud curse word – before there was a door slam shut and hurried footsteps going down the stairs. “Dad’s awake now!”

Eren smiled as she placed the sliced strawberries into a bowl and placed it with the other toppings on the kitchen island. “Good job, Mikasa. You can start eating now. Do you want milk, juice, or water?”

“Orange juice, please.”

“And tea for me,” Levi said with a gruff voice as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes as he sat down next to Mikasa on the barstool.

Eren grinned as she placed the orange juice in front of Mikasa. “Sure thing, handsome. Anything else?” she said with a wink.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Oh, very funny, Eren. Good morning to you too I suppose.” He smirked when he received a light punch to his shoulder. “Pronouns?”

“She/her,” Eren replied as she boiled the water for his tea, her back facing him. She was calming down her racing heart when she saw his messy bed hair and slight stubble. Levi in the mornings was dangerous for her health, but she couldn’t help herself from ogling the man whenever she could.

It has been a few weeks since she started living with them and she saw so many different sides of Levi she never saw through the screen or when he was staying at her house a few months ago. For one, he was way more relaxed than she thought he would be. Of course he liked to have his house in pristine condition, but other than that, he was flexible with certain things such as his friends coming over at the most random times or helping Eren out with video editing whenever she had questions.

Living under the same roof also allowed Eren to discover new things about the man that she found endearing, like the way he held his cups for example. She noticed it when he was in Canada, but only recently asked him about it. When he told her about his traumatic childhood incident, she had to restrain herself from hugging him. And then there were other things about the man like the little freckle behind his right ear or the birthmark on his left ankle, tiny things that are mostly insignificant to many people, but they were just more discoveries for Eren to find and adore.

Every day she found more and more things to love about Levi.

She shook her head from her thoughts as she measured the black tea leaves into the teapot infuser (the man drinks about four cups of tea in the morning). Eren hummed as she waited for water to boil to the perfect temperature. She felt a sense of calm as she listened to the boiling water and the hushed voices behind her, especially Levi’s low and gruff voice, still laced with drowsiness from just waking up.

Oh, the things that his voice does to her.

_‘No. Bad Eren, bad. No thinking of naughty things while a child is present.’_

Lightly patting her cheeks as though it’ll help her slap away those thoughts, she removed the kettle off the stove and poured it into the teapot. She opened the cupboards near her and grabbed Levi’s favorite mug (it says “A Giant Cup Of Who The Fuck Cares” on it with fancy script to Eren’s amusement) and placed it in front of Levi along with the teapot. “Here you go, Levi. And do you two want whip cream along with your crepes?” She laughed at their simultaneous head nod; they were so much more alike than they thought they were.

Breakfast was delicious and finished in a timely manner. Mikasa packed up the lunch Eren made for her and left the house for school, but not before giving both her dad and Eren a hug. Eren wiped down the counters as Levi washed the dishes, a routine that they’ve agreed on.

When Eren started living with the Ackerman family, it was very apparent that she was an early riser. More often than not, she would make breakfast and Mikasa’s lunch all before Levi could lift an eyelid. At first, Levi opposed to it, saying that it wasn’t fair for Eren to make both breakfast for the house and Mikasa’s lunch. But, his decision was swayed when Eren argued that Levi works through the night and that she enjoyed cooking and that it wasn’t a problem at all. (Also, Eren’s pouting and eyelash batting might’ve helped her case just a little bit). They’ve come to a compromise: if Eren cooks, Levi will clean all the dishes, and they’ll go grocery shopping together as well as make dinner together or alternate days on who was cooking that evening.

It was routine and such a domestic thing to do, but it was something that Eren felt at ease with and she loved it.

“Hey, Eren?”

“Mm?”

“Do you want to go to the mall together?” Levi asked as he dried the last plate.

Eren raised her eyebrows. “Sure. Did you need something?”

The man shook his head. “No, but I thought you might like to buy some clothes or something since you don’t have your license here yet. Not that there’s anything wrong with how you dress of course, but I thought you might like some new shirts or something once the weather gets warmer,” he reasoned.

She beamed and nodded enthusiastically. “I would love to!” It was almost the end of the month, but she hasn’t had the chance to do much exploring of the city yet, including shopping. Her first few weeks was mostly spent on going to the DMV (she now knows why every American complains about it), filling out forms, making new videos, finding and contacting local YouTubers for possible collaborations, vlog videos for her King channel, getting to know Levi’s friends, discussing about the kid’s channel, and setting up her PO box.

She didn’t realize how busy she was until she thought about it.

“Is anyone else going?” Eren asked.

“No, it’s just going to be you and me.”

She knows that she shouldn’t flush from that – it was a common phrase after all, and it was said nonchalantly too – but she did and had to look down so he wouldn’t see her face. “Oh. Uh, when are we going?”

“The mall doesn’t open for the next hour or so. I need to shower and shave, but I’ll let you know when it’s time to go, okay?”

Eren nodded, biting her lips so she doesn’t let out a squeal.

Once he was out of earshot, however, she let out a small noise of happiness before whipping out her cellphone to message her friends.

 **Eren**  
_I’m going out with the Corporal!! :D_

The responses were almost immediate, though, it was probably because it was around lunchtime in their time zone.

 **Jean**  
_Bullshit!_

 **Marco**  
_Congrats, Eren! :D_

 **Connie**  
_ayyy, atta boy! (or girl, or bro-dude-friend)_

 **Sasha**  
_remember to invite us to the wedding!!!_

 **Ymir**  
_Fuckin’ finally._

 **Historia**  
_Ymir! But yes, congrats Eren!_

 **Eren**  
_It’s she/her Connie, but lol no. I’m not going out with him in that way (I wish). We’re just going shopping together._

 **Jean**  
_I knew it!_

 **Connie**  
_gurl, u got my hopes up :(_

 **Ymir**  
_GDI EREN! HURRY UP ALREADY!_

 **Marco**  
_Hey, hey, it’s fine everyone, one step at a time. Did you ask him or did he ask you?_

 **Eren**  
_He asked me._

 **Sasha**  
_ooooooooooohh~_

 **Connie**  
_oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!_

 **Historia**  
_About time, but better late than never I suppose. Just go enjoy yourself, okay? And let us know the details later ;)_

 **Eren**  
_Haha, will do! ^^ Talk to you guys soon!_

Pocketing her phone, she went up the stairs to her room.

Now, what to wear?

* * *

_Knock knock._

“Eren? You ready to go?”

Eren straightened her dress in front of the mirror one last time before taking a deep breath. She grabbed her white purse and opened the door. "Ready."

Her heart stuttered when she saw Levi's attire. Instead of his old (but clean) band shirts and pajama bottoms, he was wearing a white shirt with a black blazer. His dark wash jeans hugged his body in all the right ways and he was wearing a watch on his left wrist.

She swore her heart beat louder when she saw his gaze roam over her form, biting her lips in nervousness. She was wearing a purple cowl neck dress with matching purple thigh highs. Her hair was pushed back with a flower clip and instead of white-framed glasses, she wore black ones instead.

There was a moment of silence before Levi's eyes were looking right at Eren's, light pink dusting his cheeks. "Hey."

Eren couldn't help but smile, it was so Levi to do that. "Hi."

"You look nice." Even though his face was impassive, from close up, Eren could see in Levi's eyes that he looked nervous and doesn't know what he was doing. She looked at him fondly and tilted her head. "You look nice as well. Shall we go?" she asked, trying to save him from more awkward pleasantries.

As if she awoken him from his stupor, he blinked a few times before nodding. He turned around and head towards the staircase, Eren following close behind him.

The drive to the mall was quiet for the most part, both of them nervous to say much of anything. Though, Eren would make comments on things she has seen as they drove by, and Levi would answer with a hum or provide a little explanation if Eren asked a question.

Since it was still early and a weekday on top of it, there weren't that many people crowding the place yet. Parking in the closest space to the entrance, Eren followed Levi to the inside of the mall, marveling at the sheer size of it all.

"Where do you want to go first?" the man asked.

"Mm, I don't know. There are so many stores here that we don't have back home."

"There's no rush, we can take our time exploring."

Eren smiled, liking the idea of spending time him. Feeling bold, she looped her arms with one of his and walking to the nearest store, missing the way Levi's blush came back at full force.

Since it was March, there were a lot of spring clothes which meant lots of pastels for Eren to fawn over. She let go of Levi's arm in favor of picking out different dresses and tops to check out. So immersed with the vast collection of spring clothes, she didn't even hear Levi coming up behind her as she held up two dresses. "Did you find something that you'll like?"

"Mm, I don't know. What do you think, Levi?" She turned around and showed him the two dresses. They were in the same style and cut, but in different colors and design. One was a simple pink to red ombre design while the other one was mint green with outlined flowers on the hem and pink sparkles on the top.

Levi wordlessly took the two dresses and put it up in front of Eren, imagining how the brunette would look in them. He pulled down the pink one and looked between Eren and the mint green dress several times before nodding. "I think this one would suit you. It brings out your eyes and your complexion more, but you can always try it on if you like."

Eren sadly smiled as she shook her head. "I wish, but some people aren't, ah, accepting of what I have between my legs and wearing dresses. So rather than dealing with them, I just hope for the best and whatever I pick will suit me. I can always come back and return it though."

Levi's face morphed into one of anger. "Eren, even though I know that you already know this, but I want you remind you that you're beautiful and wonderful the way you are and fuck the people who think otherwise." He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "I won't ever be able to fully understand what you go through but I trust you to know what makes you happy and comfortable." He took the two dresses from Eren and walked away towards the cash register.

"Wait, Levi? What are you doing?" she asked when she caught up to him.

"The Queen wants new robes and it is my duty to make sure she gets them." He placed the dresses on the counter and a store associate immediately rung them up. Levi pulled out his credit card for the dresses, and any protests that was about to come from Eren died when Levi reached to grab her hand as he finished the transaction. He held onto the fancy paper shopping bag with his other hand as he walked them out of the store. "C'mon, Eren. We're here to doll you up for the weather, and there's a shit ton of more stores to go to."

She didn’t reply to him, too transfixed on his grip on her hand. It reminded her of the time when she dragged him around the mall.

 _‘But I only grabbed his arm last time!’_ she reasoned to herself.

Still, she couldn’t help but squeeze the hand that was holding hers. The warm feeling in her chest spread through her body when his hand returned the action, making her grin uncontrollably. “Thank you, Levi,” she said in a low voice, loud enough for him to hear.

Levi didn’t say anything, but the little hand squeeze was more than enough for Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, shout out to nikitachikita005 for the [mug idea](http://nikitachikita005.tumblr.com/post/131787405215/i-said-i-wasnt-gonna-buy-the-mana-tea-infuser)! (Don’t worry, the manatee tea infuser will come into play soon. ;P)


	38. Nutella Brownies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has been a pain lately, but the lovely fanart and cosplays lifted my spirits to work harder. ;w;
> 
> ♥ [Pastel Eren or Queen Eren](http://animecomics.tumblr.com/post/133312210694/so-i-was-reading-cocoachouxs-fic-and-somehow), which one do you like better? (For me, I like both ;P) Thank you animecomics for giving us the best of both!  
> ♥ Okay, I know that [sailor outfit!Mikasa](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/133471083190/trying-watercolor-erenographys-inspirational) hasn’t appeared yet, but look at the beautiful watercolor nayawata did!  
> ♥ I hope you’re prepared to see titanicalships as the [dorkiest of all Levis](http://titanicalships.tumblr.com/post/133561244336/what-the-fuck-is-this-why-the-fuck-would-you)!  
> ♥ And if you remember the “do you even lift?” scene, then you’re definitely going to love erens-harem‘s [Levi cosplay](http://erens-harem.tumblr.com/post/133647021051/well-im-sure-you-guys-are-tired-of-seeing-my-face)!

“So, let me get this straight. You met her and immediately choked when she said hello, met her family, stayed at her house for Christmas, kissed her on the cheek, and now she’s living with you.”

“And they held hands; don’t forget that milestone, Erwin.”

Levi groaned as he covered his face with his hands.

“Right, right, of course. And you’ve held hands with Eren. All of this and the two of you aren’t even dating yet,” Erwin finished off.

“Y’know, Levi, I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be a proper order to all of this. And you, you definitely did it out of order,” Mike pointed out.

“And let’s not forget that you pretty much paid for everything; food, furniture, clothes, and shoes, even though she asked you not to.”

“I know,” was all Levi could groan out.

“Levi, you were supposed to woo her and be her suitor, not become her sugar daddy,” Mike said with a smirk, laughing when the raven man gave up on his hands and instead started to lightly bashing his head on the table.

Erwin looked at Levi with amusement when he decided to stop banging his head in favor of burying his face in his arms with another groan. Erwin took another sip of his coffee before interrogating Levi again. “Would you kindly remind us what you did for her for her birthday?”

“Fuck you.”

“Ah, ah, ah, Levi,” the thick eyebrowed man had the audacity to wag his finger at him. “Hmm, darling, would you be so kind as to refresh my memory?” Erwin asked as he rested his head on Mike’s shoulder, grinning when he felt a peck on his head.

“Of course. Let’s see here… you made breakfast in bed for her, got her tickets to Disneyland and also gave her tickets to that kpop boy band group that’s having a concert here in the summer. Seriously Levi, I’m surprised that she hasn’t tackled you to the ground yet.”

 _‘No, but she did something better,’_ Levi thought as he recalled Eren’s birthday.

He made sure to wake extra early that morning along with Mikasa. Together, they made breakfast and placed it on to a tray and carried it to Eren’s room. She looked absolutely stunning when Mikasa woke her up, her green and gold eyes blinking away sleep and Levi had to resist the urge to lean down and kiss the sleeping beauty.

Eren, in her sleepy state, was overwhelmed with happiness from the family’s kind gesture. She conversed with them as she savored her breakfast and also answered any calls or texts from her friends and family back home wishing her a happy birthday. It was clear that she was feeling homesick, but the gifts Levi and Mikasa presented to her made inexplicably happy.

In fact, Eren showered both of them with kisses over their faces, not really registering what affects her actions made. While Mikasa giggled from all the attention, Levi on the other hand, felt like he had died and reached Heaven’s Gates. He felt light-headed when Eren finish peppering kisses on his face from appreciation (no lips though unfortunately), and Levi felt that it wasn’t only Eren who received a wonderful gift that day.

Levi sighed as he absentmindedly touched his cheek with a dazed look on his face.

“Oh my word, would you look at that,” Erwin loudly whispered to Mike.

“Wow. He’s _so_ whipped.”

Levi growled at the sickenly cute couple in front of him. “Fuck you two times infinity.” Just to piss him off even more, they both shrugged at the same time.

“So, Levi, what’re you going to do?” Mike asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

Erwin sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Well, Levi, it has been weeks since Eren landed here. She’s already used to her surroundings, made contacts with other fellow YouTubers, and she is working diligently with her channels as well as the game channel with the kids. We thought you would’ve at least confessed at this point.”

The shorter man of the three let out a groan of frustration. “I know, I know. It’s just… I don’t want her to feel obligated to go out with me since I’m the one who invited her to stay with us and buying her things. I do those things because I _want_ to, but I also don’t her to feel guilty about it. And…”

“And?” the two blonds implored.

Levi let out a huff. “And then there’s Mikasa.”

Mike looked at him with confusion. “What about Mikasa? You know she loves Eren very much.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to make things awkward, you know? Like, I know she has been pushing me to date Eren for a while, but what happens if it doesn’t fall through? It would make the whole situation even more awkward and it would really affect Mikasa since she idolizes Eren.”

“Are you saying that Mikasa is the reason why you’re not doing anything?” Erwin asked.

Levi slammed his fist on the table. He gave Erwin a scathing look. “Of course not, Erwin. I’m just looking out for her well-being. I don’t want my decision to negatively affect her life in any way, shape, or form. I care for her too damn much and she deserves all the happiness the world has to offer since it decided to fuck over her parents at such a young age.” Levi took deep breaths to calm himself down. He knew that shouldn’t get angry from a small remark from his close friend, but he couldn’t help himself. Mikasa was so important to him.

“Settle down there, Mama Bear. No need to rip out my husband’s throat out, alright?”

Levi huffed as he stared out the window. “My bad.”

“My apologies as well. But you know, Mikasa is always free to stay here if you want some alone time with Eren. Maybe the two of you can talk it out? We’re all adults here,” Erwin suggested.

“Hm. Maybe.”

The three of them fell into silence, one of them conjuring up different scenarios in his head.

There was a knock at the kitchen entryway that made all the men turn their heads. “Oh, Mikasa. You ready to go kiddo?” He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion when he noticed there was something off. “You alright?”

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah. I just forgot something. I’ll meet you in the car, okay?”

Levi was skeptical, but he nodded in agreement. “Okay. See ya later you dorks,” Levi said to the two men as he left the kitchen.

Mikasa watched him leave and once the close was clear, Erwin cleared his voice. “Did you hear what we were talking about?” The man sighed when he saw her head bob with pursed lips. “Listen, Mikasa-”

“It’s okay, I have a plan.”

* * *

Eren watched as Levi paced back in forth in front of him. “Levi, she’s fine. She’s been doing this for a few nights now.”

“I know, Eren, but I just don’t understand why she doesn’t at least answer my calls.”

Eren sighed as he patted down the seat next to him on the couch. “Please at least sit will you? All that pacing is making me dizzy.”

Levi grumbled but sat next to the brunet anyway. He checked his phone for the umpteenth time that evening, looking at the screen that read 11:03. He never really established a curfew with Mikasa, simply because she never stayed out too late, but lately, she has been coming back home later and later, and that was clear warning signs for Levi.

The two jumped when they heard the front door open. Levi was already on his feet and was walking to the entrance where he saw Mikasa shutting the door and taking off her shoes. “Where were you?”

Direct and demanding, that was a good start.

Mikasa furrowed her eyebrows at him. “I was at Armin’s house. Uncle Mike drove me back home.”

Levi mimicked her expression. Something wasn’t making sense. “Why didn’t you answer my calls or texts?”

The girl just shrugged. “I thought you were busy.”

“Mikasa, busy or not, you need to tell me these things,” Levi said in a reprimanding tone. 

Mikasa looked annoyed at that. “I do believe that I can handle myself.”

“Using big words doesn’t automatically mean you’re capable.” What was she trying to hide from him?

“What are you trying to say?” the girl’s eyes flashed in anger.

Even though he could tell that she was getting angry, Levi sighed as he shook his head. “You’re only 11, Mikasa. And you can’t be off hindering others without notifying me first.”

“Are you calling me a burden?!”

Levi stopped when he saw Mikasa’s unshed tears. “Mikasa…”

“Don’t talk to me.”

Her voice was cold and empty, but it hitched near the end of her sentence. She looked down and away from Levi as she pushed her way through the house and ran up the stairs.

Levi visibly flinched when he heard the door slam shut. His heart clenched painfully as he hopelessly looked at where she was standing moments ago.

“Levi?”

The man didn’t even turn around when he heard Eren’s gentle voice. “Fuck.”

“Levi, what’s wrong?” The brunet walked over and turned him around to face him. “Is everything okay?”

“I fucked up, Eren. I seriously fucked up.”

Eren hushed him as he wrapped his arms around the man. “Is Mikasa okay?” Eren felt the man shook his head. “Did she get injured?” Again, Levi shook his head. “Is she going to be okay?” There was a pause and Levi shrugged his shoulders pulling away from the embrace. “I don’t know, Eren. She’s safe but she's not okay. She looks like she’s about to cry and I feel like absolute shit for making her feel like that.”

"Shh," Eren said in a low voice. "You're both emotional right now and you both need to calm down a bit before talking again. Come, I'll go prepare some tea while you sit down on the couch, okay?"

Levi bit his lips but nodded in agreement. Eren was right; he needed to cool his head before speaking with Mikasa again or else his emotions would get the better of him.

Eren went to the kitchen to fire up the kettle while Levi went back to the couch and sat down on the same spot he did moments ago. He took deep breaths and mentally counted until Eren came back with two mugs in his hand and passed him his tea.

"So, what is the dad of this house thinking about right now?" Eren asked in a light tone as he sat down next to the man.

Levi sighed as he held onto his mug, not taking a sip yet. "Hey, do you want to know how I got Mikasa?"

Eren sat up straighter at that. To all of Levi's fans and viewers, it was a known face that Mikasa wasn't actually his daughter from any relationship, but no one knew how it came to be (except for Levi's close friends). Of course Eren was curious, but he never wanted to pry unless they brought up the subject themselves.

Levi scratched the back of his head, wondering how he should explain the situation. "Well, even though Mikasa isn't technically my own child, she's still related to me." Levi took a sip of his tea before speaking again. "She's actually my second cousin once removed, or more simply, my mother's cousin's grandchild." Levi face scrunched up as he thought about the next part. "Both of Mikasa's parents died in a motorcycle incident when Mikasa was eight. Her grandparents from her father's side passed away due to old age and her grandparents from her mother's side were across the ocean since Mikasa's mother's family was in Japan where she came from.” Levi let out a shuddered breath as he continued. “Which meant that she was all alone and had no one to take care of her."

The man blinked when he felt a hand over his. He looked down and didn't realize that he was clenching his fist and Eren was trying to soothe him before he broke his mug. Giving Eren a grateful smile, he placed his mug down before he has the chance to break it and continued. "My maman was contacted since she was the closest living family member in the area and she was about to agree to take care of her but I offered to do it instead."

Eren raised an eyebrow. "Was there a particular reason why?"

"There were several reasons. Even though I knew Maman was more than capable to take care of Mikasa, she was very busy back then since she was in the midst of opening her own store. And I thought that it would be good for Mikasa to be in a new city and start in a new life instead of being a few minutes away from where her parents passed away and lastly," Levi looked at Eren with such a sorrowful look that he couldn't help but close the space between them and wrap his arms around the man again. "Go on," Eren encouraged.

Levi took another deep breath, breathing in Eren's scent to calm him down. "When I first saw her at the funeral, she didn't shed a single tear but she looked so _empty_ , Eren. It broke my fucking heart to see her like that. I’ve seen her before a handful of times when Maman brought me to visit Mikasa's family. I've seen her when she was a baby with toothless smiles and giggles and growing up to be a happy little girl full of smiles and laughter and it was just so wrong for her to be like that. I've never considered having a kid before but I thought that if I could make her at least smile again, then I'll do whatever I can to make her happy but apparently I can't even manage that, huh?"

Too busy with his self-loathing, he didn't expect the flick on his forehead. "Eren?"

Eren rolled his eyes at him as he pulled away. "Stop that. Levi, you're doing a great job taking care of Mikasa, everyone knows that. And honestly, you two have the best father-daughter relationship I've ever seen in my life. Of course you two will have arguments and it's not going to be the last one. Just wait until she's older and wants to be more independent." Eren chuckled when Levi groaned. "No one knows how to be the perfect parent and you're bound to make a bunch of mistakes, but you just gotta keep communicating and you two will be fine."

The brunet stood up and grabbed the empty mugs. "Okay, I think enough time has passed. I know it's late, but why don't you bring her some tea and talk it out with her now? I bet that she's still awake."

Levi nodded but let out a small smirk. "She'll prefer some hot chocolate instead. My daughter doesn't yet understand the wonderfulness that is tea."

* * *

_Knock knock._

"Mikasa? Can I come in?"

Levi waited until he heard a sound of affirmation before opening the door and closing it. He looked at where Mikasa was, huddled at the corner of her bed and holding her stuffie. Even from where Levi was standing he was able to see her tear-stained cheeks and her red, puffy eyes. He mentally berated himself as he slowly approached her bed and sat down on the other end of the bed and passed her the hot chocolate. "Careful, it's hot."

Mikasa silently accepted the cup and blinked in surprised at it. "Hearts?"

Levi coughed as he looked away. "Er, yeah. Eren showed me how to use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes from marshmallows."

Mikasa hummed at the explanation. "Cute."

Levi watched her as she blew on the hot drink before taking a sip. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes lit up from the drink.

He waited until she finished, but she beat him before he could say a word. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about, Mikasa?"

The girl shook her head as she placed the cup on her nightstand before hugging her stuffed toy again. "I'm sorry for not letting you know where I was and I'm sorry for being angry."

"Mikasa..." Levi scooted closer to her when he saw that she was looking down again. "Hey, look at me." Once he got her attention, he continued. "First, please let me know where you are, even a text would be fine. I just want to know that you're somewhere safe, okay?" Levi smiled when she nodded. "And two, I should be the one to apologize. I'm an adult and I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me. I managed to make you cry and I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Mikasa."

"No, no!" She started sobbing as she pressed her face against his chest. Levi felt her tears through his shirt as he patted her back to calm her down. "Please don't say that. It was all my fault. I told Uncle Erwin and Uncle Mike to keep quiet about it."

Levi was confused. "Why, Mikasa?"

“I heard you talking with Uncle Erwin and Uncle Mike the other day and I know that you never really wanted a child before and I thought…“

 _“That I was in the way,”_ was left unsaid because Mikasa started hiccuping, but Levi knew what she meant.

“Oh, Mikasa,” Levi held the girl closer to her as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Never. Please don’t ever think that you’re an inconvenience. I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you very much. You’re important to me and never once has that crossed my mind.”

“I thought that maybe if I wasn’t around, you would be able to spend more time with Eren instead about worrying about me.”

Levi pulled her away and cupped her face with his hands. She looked at him with watery eyes streaming with tears. He wiped away any that went down her cheeks as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Here she was, a little girl trying to do what was best for her dad. Sometimes Levi forgot that she was only 11. She was mature and placed others before herself, but she was still just a child in the end.

A child he proudly calls his daughter.

Levi bopped her nose and smiled at her. “Oh? Am I that bad to the point that my daughter needs to stage a disappearing act so I could show Eren the cool side of me?” he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Mikasa snorted and lightly batted his chest. “Stop it, you’re so embarrassing.”

The man chuckled along with her giggles. He was glad that her tears stopped. He reached over to grab a tissue and wiped her face with it. “So, are we good?”

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

Before the man could get up from the bed, Mikasa grabbed his wrist. “I love you, Dad, and thank you.”

Levi’s heart felt lighter as he picked her up with ease and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Love you too. You can be a brat sometimes but it makes my life more interesting.” He laughed when she stuck her tongue at him as he left the room to find Eren.

He followed the scent of something delicious coming from the kitchen. He stopped at the entryway just in time as he saw Eren bending down to take something out of the oven.

“Dad, stop drooling and put me down.”

Levi snapped out of it as he saw Mikasa’s amused look. Huffing, he placed her down and she went up to Eren. “Eren!”

The brunet jumped and turned around to see her hugging his waist. Placing the pan down and taking off the oven mitts, he crouched down to return her hug. “Feeling better?”

“Mm!”

“Good. Because I made some brownies to celebrate!”

Mikasa immediately let go of him and rushed to sit on the barstool. “Brownies!”

Levi also sat on the barstool as he watched Eren cut up the brownies before putting them on a plate. “What kind?”

“Nutella brownies. They’re quick and easy to make and it only uses three ingredients and they’re so good, you have to try them.”

Eren finished placing the brownies on the plate and passed it to the two Ackermans as he grabbed glasses and poured milk in them. “Go on,” he encouraged.

He watched in delight as he saw the two’s dreamy faces. Eren grabbed a warm brownie as well and let out a content sigh. “Good?”

Eren laughed when they were unable to respond to him properly, their mouths were too preoccupied with chewing the delicious brownies. They kind of looked like chipmunks with their puffed up cheeks but Eren decided to reserve that comment for himself. Instead, he just enjoyed listening to the two speak to each other in hushed voices.

It was a weekday and the microwave reads 12:10 in the morning and definitely past Mikasa’s bed time. She would be awake again in seven more hours and she would be a bit grumpy, but that was okay. Eren would be there to greet her in the kitchen and make a delicious breakfast for her before sending her off to school. Or if she was feeling devious, she would wake her dad up just to annoy him before rushing off.

Her plan didn’t fall through this time, but that was okay.

She still had a few more ideas up her sleeves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I posted a "[Chapter 38.5](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/133472473019/click-on-my-heart-chapter-385-birthday-kisses)" on my tumblr if you want to check out on how Eren's birthday went if you want to end off with something a bit more fluffy. :)


	39. Polish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone deserves to be fabulous~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been so spoiled lately! QAQ Check out the awesome stuff below okay?
> 
> ♥ nayawata is super amazing and awesome and you should check out her [sketches](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/133690982849/aug-oct-2015-twitter-reupload) and her [wonderful fanart](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/133801839195/cocoachoux-if-you-really-dont-mind) of a future outfit for Eren! :D  
> ♥ Time for your heart strings to get pulled because the magical being that is magickitt decided that [Mikasa needed family cuddles](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/133766002883/fluff-for-mikasa-cuz-of-the-latest-chap-of-click)!  
> ♥ [Eren in pink frilly shorts](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/133898654581/cocoachoux-i-saw-this-and-i-just-had-to-draw-eren). Enough said. Thank you so much candied-cravat! (I will find a way for Eren to wear these around the house~ ;D) to the call!  
> ♥ So [Eren in heels](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/133912508198/crystalkitty22-hello-there-i-drew-a-thing-in) is going to be a thing and crystalkitty22 answered to the call!  
> ♥ tomatofairyart blessed us again with a [pastel!punk!Eren](http://tomatofairyart.tumblr.com/post/133924695569/its-finished-%EF%BD%96-based-on)! ;)  
> ♥ Abooo! Look at this [cutie-patootie](http://leviwitch.tumblr.com/post/134024781248/i-just-started-reading-click-on-my-heart-by-the) that leviwitch did!  
> ♥ And cloudflowerandherkami is doing the ultimate throwback (and spoiling me in the process) with [livestream!Eren](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134091184375/cloudflowerandherkami-so-this-is-kind-of-a-huge), [cutie Eren](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134097352578/cloudflowerandherkami-i-was-bored-and-i-wanted) hugging the teddy bear, and [sweetie pumpkin Mikasa](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134103728539/cloudflowerandherkami-mikasa-from-click-on-my)!

Levi’s eye twitched at the scene in front of him.

“What’s going on here?”

Five blonds turned their heads to look at him and Levi felt his eye twitch again.

Well, wasn’t that creepy?

“Oh, hey there Levi. Back from your run?” Mike asked.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“And you didn’t answer mine,” Mike rebutted.

The gamer rolled his eyes. “Yes I did if you can’t tell with my outfit and oh, I don't know, me sweating bricks over here.” To further prove his point, he wiped off the sweat on his brow with the towel around his shoulder. “Now, can someone inform me why I have 3 very large and buff men in my house getting their nails done by their kids?”

“Well hello to you, Corporal,” one of the said large and buff men waved with a smile and his nails were pink and purple in color. Annie let out an indignant noise and grabbed his back down so she could finish applying the nail polish.

Levi exhaled. “Hello to you too, Reiner. Are you picking up Annie today?”

“Yup. Bertholdt went to go pick up groceries.”

“I see.” Levi strolled over to the group sitting on the floor and sat down on the couch near them. “Since no one answered my question, I’m just going to assume that Eren is teaching the kids on how to paint nails?” He looked around at all the different bottles of nail polish, removers, cotton balls, toothpicks, gems, and other items that might be required for painting nails.

“Yeah. We finished recording early and we decided to paint our nails. And then these guys came and wanted to join in on the fun,” Eren explained. “Is that okay?” he asked with a head tilt.

“Sure,” Levi said. He was rewarded with a grin and he let out a small smile in return. _‘Anything for you as long as you keep smiling like that.’_

“Anyways. Levi, why haven’t you introduced to me to this cutie sooner? I would’ve dropped by more often,” Reiner said, placing his arm around Eren’s shoulder and hugging the brunet closer to him.

The eye twitch came back again as Levi sat up straight. First Mike and now Reiner? What was with beefy blonds and being touchy-feely with Eren?

Eren laughed as he playfully pushed Reiner away. “Behave. You don’t want your daughter to pick up your flirty habits do you?”

Reiner threw his head back as he laughed. “Nah, she wouldn’t. She’s more like Bert when it comes to that stuff. The only thing she gets from me is strong punching techniques.” He laughed again but doubled over in pain when a small fist hit his gut. “Ow, Annie!”

“You ruined your nails so I have to do them again,” she argued. The little blonde grabbed his hands and started wiping away the smudged polish with puffed cheeks.

Levi let out an amused smirk as he looked over at the trio of blonds nearest to him. Armin scrunched his brows in concentration as he tried his best to apply the blue polish on Erwin’s nail evenly and without making a mess.

“You’re doing a great job, pumpkin,” Erwin praised.

“Not bad,” Levi agreed. “Mike, did you get your nails done already?” Mike flashed him his pink nails with a little gem on each one. “Fabulous,” Levi deadpanned and his smirk grew wider when he received a pink polished middle finger in return. He felt a tugging on his pants and looked down to see Mikasa sitting right at his feet. “What’s up?”

“Look at Eren’s nails, Dad. I did it by myself!”

Levi smiled. Lately, Mikasa has been calling him ‘Dad’ more often than usual and it made him happy that after their little talk a few weeks ago, she loved and trusted him to call him by that title. He ruffled her hair and chuckled when she tried swatting his hand away. “Oh? Let’s just hope that you painted them properly.” When he finally stopped messing with her, Mikasa promptly smoothed her hair down as she stuck a tongue at him.

He stood up from the couch and went over to where Eren was and sat right next to him. “So, did Mikasa do some sort of weird design on your nails?” Levi chuckled again when he heard Mikasa saying something along the lines of “I would never ruin Eren’s pretty nails like that!”

Eren smiled as he proudly showed Levi his [painted nails](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/131317977904/cetlii-cocoachoux). “I think she did a great job, don’t you think?”

Levi took the hands with his as he took a closer inspection of them. Each nail was a solid color and it alternated between pink and minty green-blue. Though, what was impressive was done on the middle finger nail on both hands. They had sparkly polish on top of the pink base polish and there were several gems and even ones that were shaped as sea shells.

“Not too bad,” Levi praised. Not even realizing what he was doing himself, Levi turned the hands to take a better look at them and noting how soft they were. “It would look nice with some rings though,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Eren said.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and let go of the hands. He awkwardly coughed as he nodded. “Yeah. Uh, you did a great job, Mikasa.”

The girl rolled her eyes but smiled. “At least it didn’t take me long to do not like the last time you did my nails.”

“Hey, you were the one who wanted intricate details on your tiny nails so don’t blame me.”

“Uh huh.”

Eren chuckled at their banter. “Hey Levi, do you want to do your nails too since we have all the stuff here already?”

Levi blinked and looked down at his hands. His nails were clean and his cuticles were pushed back, but maybe a bit of color wouldn’t be so bad. “Uh, sure. What color?”

“Black, like your soul,” Mikasa suggested.

Levi grabbed a nearby throw pillow and threw it at her as she laughed. “Little shit,” he muttered.

“Actually, I was thinking of the same thing. It goes with your aesthetic and it’ll match with any of your outfits,” Eren said.

Levi let out a hum before Erwin interjected, “Levi actually used to wear a lot of black polish back in high school during his punk days before he had to start dressing up professionally for his job.”

Eren raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

The raven man shot his friend a betrayed look. “Erwin!” he hissed out.

Mike grabbed his phone from the table (no way he was leaving it in his pants if he was getting his nails done) and quickly swiped through until he found what he was looking for and tossed his phone to Eren. “Take a look.”

Eren caught the phone and didn’t notice Levi’s panicked expression as he took a look at the picture on the screen and almost let out a squeal. “This was you!?”

Levi groaned as he covered his face. “Please don’t remind me.”

The picture was indeed a younger-looking Levi and he still looked relatively the same, but the piercings were toned down than from what it was before. Eren chuckled when he saw his signature scowl, but what was most noticeable was-

"You had blond hair," Eren said with a soft voice.

Levi peeked through his fingers to look at him. "It was a phase."

"Swipe to the right," Mike said.

Eren did what he suggested and this time, he couldn't hold in his squeal. "You had a mohawk!"

Levi groaned. "Can we just, I don’t know, paint my nails instead of looking at old, embarrassing photos of myself, that would be more than great."

The pastel beauty guru smiled and closed off the screen and tossed the phone back to Mike. "Okay, okay. Now let me see what I have to work with."

The two of them situated themselves so that they were facing each other properly. Levi placed his hands in front of him and Eren took them and it was his turn to inspect them.

Levi's nails were trimmed and clean (which was so Levi) but there was something that was a little off that Eren noticed. "Levi, are you not getting enough iron or vitamin B12?"

He gave Eren a confused look. "What makes you say that?"

"Your nails, they curl down a bit. It's usually an indicator of respiratory health issues or lack of iron or vitamin. Though, if it's iron deficiency, it'll make sense why you're exhausted and pale."

"He's always pale like a vampire," Reiner pointed out.

"Well, paler than usual. If I think about it, I've been making more sweets and dessert stuff than actual meals for a while now. I can go grocery shopping for more seafood and spinach and lots of fruit and-"

"Eren, it's fine," Levi interjected. As much as he was touched that Eren was making sure he was eating properly, he didn't want the brunet to ramble on like Hange. One Hange in the world was more than enough for Levi to deal with. "We can think about that later. For now, let's get my nails as dark as the universe, alright?"

Erwin snorted as he was blowing his nails to dry them off. "That was the most poetic thing I've ever heard from you, Levi. I thought you were a different person just now."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Get off my property."

"And there's our favorite snarky old man," the Captain America look-a-like grinned. "Lucky for you, we're about to leave. Just let me get my top coat done and we'll be off."

“Why are we friends again?”

* * *

“Bye Annie! Thanks for coming over.”

Annie smiled as she nodded at Mikasa. “No problem. Thank you for having me. And thank you for teaching me how to do pretty nails, Eren.”

“Yes, thank you so much for taking care of her,” a tall man said.

Eren smiled. “Anytime, Bertholdt. Just make sure your husband doesn’t ruin his nails or else Annie will get angry again.”

The blond laughed as he bent down to pick up Annie despite her protests. “I’ll try my best. Alright soldier, time for us to go home.”

“I’m not a soldier, Dad. I’m a fierce warrior!”

Eren smiled as the family laughed and left the house. Closing the door, Eren peered into the living room area where Levi was still blowing his nails. “Are they dry yet?”

“They better. The fumes are starting to get to me,” Levi said as he scrunched up his nose.

Eren sat in front of him and gently touched the side of one of the nails. “They’re dry. Do you want skull and crossbones on them before the top coat? I have a stamp for it. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Levi shrugged. “Sure.” More than sure in fact, his heart leapt when Eren took hold of his hands again as he started to press something on his nails to reveal the tiny designs.

Mikasa peered behind Eren to take a look at her dad’s nails and praised them. “They look so cool!”

Eren laughed as he pressed the design onto another fingernail. “Thanks!” Remembering something Levi mentioned before, Eren paused what he was doing and turned to look at Mikasa. “Hey, Mikasa? Can you do something for me?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you go to my room and get some rings? I want to take a picture of our nails together.” Turning back to Levi, Eren asked, “Is that okay?”

“That seems fine to me,” Levi said.

Eren nodded. “Okay. And Mikasa, you get to pick the rings since you did my nails. I have them in a drawer where the vanity is. Think you can handle it?”

Mikasa saluted. “Anything for my Queen,” she said before dashing off.

She went up the stairs, two at a time (and ignoring her dad’s shouts of warning) and went into Eren’s room to the vanity. Mikasa pulled on one of the drawers and saw the rings Eren was talking about. She shuffled through a few until she think would look nice with Eren’s nails.

She closed the drawer but she slammed a bit too hard since some of the items on the vanity toppled over.

“Oops.”

Mikasa placed the rings down and carefully put all the perfume bottles and brushes that rolled away back in order. Finishing up, she paused at the last item.

Mikasa lifted up the little lipstick container and took off the lid to see a lavender color. She gasped as she thought of a brilliant idea.

She put back on the top and placed the lipstick back from where it was. Holding onto the rings, she skipped out of the room, conjuring up another plan in her mind.

With a giggle, she went down the stairs and hummed.

Mark her words, she will have her dad confess to Eren if it was the last thing she will do.


	40. Lipstick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep your eyes opened for any shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more week of classes and I’m be done! @___@ But for now, you check out this week’s fanart to refuel like I did:
> 
> ♥ This is not fanart, but it is a fic fic (I think xD)! matsumoto-ruki wrote this [lovely piece](http://matsumoto-ruki.tumblr.com/post/134123484712/vote-for-me) in the COMH-verse!  
> ♥ ichiya-monogatari is a lovely honeybun and drew not only of the Queen but also the [Queen and the Corporal kissing](http://ichiya-monogatari.tumblr.com/post/134281893573/three-things-1-cocoachoux-is-the-greatest)! (♥ω♥ ) ~♪  
> ♥ Look at these [two dorks being cute](http://feathersnfear.tumblr.com/post/134312214673/so-i-seriously-can-not-draw-but-im-basically) by feathersnfear!  
> ♥ Okay, I know this doesn’t exist in the COMHverse, but take a look at candied-cravat‘s [pastel!Levi](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/134371303251/pastel-levi)!  
> ♥ [Eren wearing an off-shoulder sweater](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134424516316/monster192-first-thing-i-tried-to-draw-for-your)? Hell ye~ Thank you monster192 for the art!  
> ♥ And sweatpants-and-icecream drew an [adorable Queen](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134609206838/sweatpants-and-icecream-i-wanted-to-contribute)!

“Hey, hey, Mikasa, is it really true?”

“Yeah, yeah! Is it?!”

The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow at the group of girls in front of her. Swallowing her food, she wiped her mouth with a napkin before responding. “What are you talking about?”

“The Queen! You’re living with her, right? I saw the video yesterday night!”

“Ah,” Mikasa nodded, remembering that Eren finally posted a house tour video last night. “Yeah, Eren’s living with us.”

There was a unanimous squeal from the group at the answer.

“So she’s here now?!”

“Mikasa, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Can I have Eren’s autograph, pretty please?”

“Oh, oh! Can I meet her?”

Mikasa recoiled slightly as the girls started invading her space and spewing a lot of requests. She would have liked to tell them off with some choice words, but she didn’t want to go back to Mr. Pixis’s office again, nor did she want to hear her dad’s scolding of adopting his language.

Thankfully, Annie was there to shoo them off. “Stop it. Break is almost over and we want to finish our food before the history test.”

The group immediately scampered off to go do some last-minute cramming for their upcoming test (they most likely forgot about it) and Mikasa let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Annie.”

The blonde shrugged. “It’s fine, Mikasa,” she said as she continued eating. “I saw the video last night too and I saw your dad in it as well.”

“Yeah! I was surprised that Uncle Levi would be okay with it,” Armin said.

“Mm… Eren asked Dad if he was okay with it and he said yes.”

“Your dad can’t say no to Eren, can he?” Annie asked.

Mikasa giggled. “Nope!”

“So, any progress with Uncle Levi and Eren yet?” Armin asked. He expected a dejected sigh or a head shake but his eyebrows rose up when he saw a smirk instead.

Mikasa took out her cellphone to take a look at the time and hummed in amusement. “Not yet, but I have an idea.” And hopefully this time, it won’t backfire.

* * *

“Shit, Eren, your fans love you too much,” Levi said as he hauled the last box into Eren’s room. He placed the box on the floor with a huff before standing up straight. “Are you sure you don’t want to do this in the living room instead? There’s more room out there.”

Eren shook his head as he adjusted the camera. “Nah, it’s fine. Besides, it’s more personal if I do the unpacking in my room.”

“Fair enough. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“If you don’t mind, can you help separate the letters from the packages? Oh, and can you help open them up as well? Not to unbox the stuff inside of course, but I can go through the stream faster if the boxes were pre-opened.”

“Sure.” Levi scrunched his nose when he felt sweat trickling down his temple and wiped it away. He pulled the front of his shirt and shook it to cool himself down. Even though it was May, it was starting to get unnatural warm.

Preferring not to sweat in his own home, he walked to the door. “I’ll be back, going to turn on the AC,” Levi said as he left the room.

Eren made a noise of agreement as he made the final adjustment of the camera to make sure it had a proper view of the bed. Satisfied, he went over to the containers full of fanmail (the post office let him borrow the containers since there was so many and it would’ve been a hassle to put them in bags) and started to sort them out.

He shivered when he first felt the initial breeze of the air conditioner working its magic. Looking down at his outfit, he decided that he should dress a little more warmly (that, and he missed wearing his sweaters).

Going through the dresser, he pulled out a black skirt and pink sweater that had a pink ribbon laced on the side of the sleeve and across the front and formed into a bow. He quickly changed into [the outfit](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/133801839195/cocoachoux-if-you-really-dont-mind) he selected and walked over to the full length mirror to check himself out. He looked cute, but he thought that the white kitty leggings he purchased a few days ago would complete the outfit. Pulling out the leggings, he bent down to shimmy the sheer fabric over his legs.

Since he was too busy with getting the leggings to not bunch up, Eren didn’t hear footsteps, but he did hear the cough once the leggings were put on properly. He quickly turned around to see Levi at the doorway looking away with a pink tinge on his cheeks. “Er…”

Levi coughed again and walked in the room and looked at everywhere besides Eren. “Uh, I turned on the AC, but I can turn it down if it’s too cold.”

“Oh, no, no. You don’t need to do that. Besides, I prefer wearing sweaters if you couldn't tell,” Eren said with a sheepish smile, wondering what Levi had seen when his back was facing the door.

Levi nodded as he went over to the boxes, still avoiding Eren's eyes. “I brought the box cutters, thought it would make the process faster.”

“Oh. Um, thanks." Eren went over to sort the mail while Levi carefully sliced open the boxes.

The two worked in relative silence until Eren's phone chimed several times. Apologizing, Eren grabbed the phone that he placed down earlier and turned off the sound before checking his notifications.

 **Connie**  
_yo ur vid is blowing up like crazy_

 **Marco**  
_Tell them we said hello!_

 **Ymir**  
_We're back home working our asses off and you're over there living the life. God, you snatched a good one._

 **Jean**  
_Woah your fans are thirsty_

 **Sasha**  
_the kitchen looks amazing!!! feeeeeeeeeeeed meeeeeeeee_

 **Historia**  
_Glad you're doing well, but you should definitely check out your video sometime soon_

Eren bit his lips to distract himself from the rising heat on his face as he read the messages his friends sent. Oh, he knew exactly what they were talking about, and he was well aware of what the comments were like. The skating vlog video he posted a few months ago gained a lot of views, but the recent house tour video was causing a storm with his fans.

And of course Eren read the comments a few hours after posting the video. The comments ranged from complimenting the house and wishing Eren good luck, to 'OMG THEY'RE DATING!!!' (Now those ones got a lot of thumbs up). As much as Eren wished that latter to be true, it wasn't.

Eren didn't realize that he sighed until Levi asked him what was wrong. "Oh, nothing. My friends said hi."

"Your friends sure do have a lot of free time. Isn't it exam period now?"

"Mm, no. Exams are finished so now they're working until their graduation ceremony."

"Oh? Tell them congrats on not burning down the school to avoid finals."

"Well, you weren't exactly off you know."

Levi finally met Eren's eyes as he raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

The brunet chuckled as he leaned back to rest his back on the side of the bed. "One time, at the end of the first semester in our first year, Sasha was so stressed about this one final exam that was worth 40% of her grade that she actually stopped eating because she was studying so much. And Connie, being the great boyfriend that he was, orchestrated a fire, causing the sprinklers to go off during the exam and making it postponed to the week after while the school tried to figure out who did it."

"Holy shit. Did he get caught?"

Eren smirked. "Nope. Even though Connie can come off as a lovable idiot sometimes, he has the mind of an escape artist. It's a scary talent, really. He somehow went through the vents and heated the thing up to the point the sprinkler head broke and sprayed water all over the 500 students taking the exam." Eren chuckled at the memory. "Connie made it look like it was a malfunction of that specific sprinkler and there wasn't enough evidence to prove that it was tampered with so the case was called off. That and the school didn't want to spend more time or money if no one actually got hurt and also the fact that the building that the exam was taken place was really old and there were plans to rebuild it anyways."

Levi let out a low whistle. "That's really impressive and lucky of him."

Eren laughed. "It still bit Connie in the ass at the end though. He was so focused on making sure his plan went well that he didn't study for his own exams. He barely managed to pass but his parents were so mad at him that he actually got a lump of coal for Christmas."

The brunet blinked a few times when he saw Levi throwing his head back as he laughed. Eren heart swelled at the sound since it wasn't often that Levi was that amused.

Levi calmed down after a while but his smile was still present. "Well tell them congratulations anyway and that Connie should never meet Hange. Lord knows what would happen if they team up."

"Will do." Eren rapidly typed up his message and pressed send before placing the phone on the bed.

The two worked in silence again, but this time, the atmosphere was lighter after their shared laughter.

Eren hummed as he sorted the letters and envelopes but one in particular caught his eye. He lifted the envelope that was covered in small, lavender lip stick marks and flowers. The return address looked very familiar, but it was the single ‘M’ that made Eren open the letter immediately to read it.

_Dear Eren,_

_Hello again! Sorry that that I wasn’t able to get you anything this time. This was done very quickly and I also had to get a stamp from Auntie to send this. Even Dad doesn’t even know that I’m doing this._

_Anyway, I hope you like L.A. so far! There’s so much more you need to see, but it’ll happen eventually. I’m sure if you ask my dad, he’ll be more than happy to show you around._

_Oh right. He still has your letter you sent him. He keeps it in his night stand and he sometimes reads it at night. (Don’t tell him I told you that)._

_I can’t wait for more adventures! :D_

_Sincerely,_

_M_

_P.S. The Nutella brownies were really yummy! Can I help make them next time? Oh! And I can’t wait to go to Disneyland together!_

No way.

Eren’s breath stuttered as he reread the last line. Eren felt his heart beating out of his chest, so loud that he could _feel_ it in his ears. His hands were shaking as he gripped the letter and took a closer look at the handwriting.

No way.

This was _Mikasa’s_ handwriting. He helped her with homework a few times before, how didn’t he catch it the first time? And the street name on the return address was the same street as Hange’s floral shop. (Like, what kind of street name is Titan Avenue anyway?) But the ‘M’ made sense for Mikasa, then why would Levi use ‘Mr. R.’?

_‘Wait.’_

Eren thought back to the few times that Levi’s mother would call the house and Mikasa would put her on speaker and that the woman would refer Levi as “mon petit chou” (which Eren would grin at) and “Rivaille.” He didn’t really think much about it, thinking that it was her accent or the speaker that made the ‘R’ sound instead of an ‘L’ sound for Levi’s name, but looking back at it now; it should’ve been a big hint.

Eren gulped as he looked up from the letter to where Levi was sitting, carefully opening another box. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his heart, he called out to him. “Hey, Levi?”

“Yes?” Levi hummed as he opened the next box.

“Do you remember how I said that there was this family that sent me the cute teddy bear on my bed?” Eren asked, catching the way that Levi momentarily pausing before continue slicing open the boxes. The man didn’t look at Eren in the eyes as he nodded. “Right, you said that they sent you it in your first stream.”

Eren huffed but his heart was still beating. Holding onto the letter, he crawled closer to Levi and sat in front on him once the fanmail package was put off to the side. “Yeah, them. The daughter sent me a letter.” The brunet watched Levi whip his head up; his eyes were filled with confusion. “Here, read this,” Eren said.

He took the box cutter away from Levi in exchange for giving him the letter. Eren patiently observed him, watching Levi’s eyes move back and forth as he read the letter. The brunet felt his heart pounding even louder when Levi’s face turned into shock when his eyes reached the bottom of the letter. With a sigh, Eren reached forward to put away the letter and placed his hand on top of Levi’s.

Eren wouldn’t deny it; it was amusing to see Levi’s face turn from his natural pale complexion to a nice, healthy pink. Clearing his voice, Eren asked, “Was it you? Are you Mr. R?”

Levi’s eyes skittered to look at Eren’s. Both of them didn’t move. They just looked into each other’s eyes and Eren watch the emotions going through Levi’s silver eyes. The man exhaled when he broke away from the gaze, closing his eyes as he did so. “Yes, that was me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Eren asked in a curious tone, wishing that the man would look at him again.

“I-I honestly don’t know. I thought you would be creeped out by it or something.”

“Not at all.” Eren held Levi’s hand tighter, glad to see his eyes open again. “I’m actually really happy about it.”

Eren saw the disbelief in Levi’s eyes and he smiled. The brunet closed his mismatched eyes as he leaned forward to press his lips on Levi’s.

It felt like his heartbeat was on his lips the moment it touched Levi’s. There was no additional movement, just the warm pressure of another pair of lips with his. Eren’s eyes snap open when he felt arms encircling around him, pulling him closer onto the man’s lap. He slowly pulled away but cupped Levi’s cheeks and pressed his forehead against his as he watched Levi’s eyes swimming with even more emotion before. The healthy pink turned into a beautiful red and Eren couldn’t help but smile. “I’m really glad it was you.”

The man groaned as he buried his head on the brunet’s shoulder. “Fuck, Eren. How dare you do something cute like that, it’s not fair at all.”

Eren chuckled as he placed his head on top of Levi’s. “Can I take this as a hint that you like me to some extent?” Eren almost yelped when he was pulled away, Levi’s hand gripping his as he placed it on his chest where Eren felt the strong and rapid heartbeat. “I don’t know. You tell me, Eren.”

The brunet shuddered at the low and husky tone. Eren felt his heart trying to match the beat of Levi’s that he could feel through his fingertips. His eyes started to tear up from the high emotions he was experiencing, mainly, feeling so damn happy and loved.

Levi bit his lips as he looked at Eren’s face of pure bliss, his heart was still beating at a fast pace. He leaned over to place chaste kisses on the brunet’s chin, forehead, and nose before resting them on Eren’s lips. He felt Eren’s lips forming into a smile and he couldn’t help but do the same. They pulled away but then started laughing.

Eren managed to calm himself down before nuzzling his nose with Levi’s. “If you couldn’t tell by now, I like you too.”

Levi snorted but his smile was still there. “I would hope so.” He held Eren closer to him as though he was scared that the brunet would run away. He didn’t care how sappy he was being, he was just so, so happy.

Eren hummed as he dropped his head on Levi’s shoulder. They both stayed like that, trying to get their heart rate back to normal. Eren couldn’t help but grin when Levi started drawing nonsensical patterns on his back. Twisting his head, he placed a kiss on Levi’s chest before resting his head back to the man’s build body. He saw the piece of paper from the corner of his eye and let out a breathy chuckle. “I guess we have to thank Mikasa for this once she gets back home, eh?”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Probably. She would figure out soon enough even if we don’t tell her.”

As if on cue, they both pulled away when they heard the front door of the house open and a muffled ‘I’m home!’ was heard.

They looked at each other and laughed. Eren placed another kiss on Levi’s lips before moving off of his lap. He stood up and placed his hand in front of Levi. “I guess it’s time for me to do my stream then.”

Levi accepted the offered hand and stood up straight. “Sounds good. We’ll talk later about this, alright?” Eren nodded and Levi couldn’t help but smile as he headed towards the door to greet his daughter.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have someone to ground.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /RUNS


	41. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally! You can relax now, Mikasa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M ALIVE! :D The fall semester is over but I’m still busy~ I’ll be going to Germany on Monday (will arrive there by Tuesday) and I have so much to do before then. Also, COMH has over 2000 kudos! ^O^ WOO! You guys are seriously so amazing and I can’t thank you all enough for the continuous support and love. Okay, okay, enough sap (this chapter has enough fluff as is), time to check out this amazingness!
> 
> ♥ QueenPastelEren is back and she posted a lovely [new video](https://youtu.be/E4e6VGFzMGs)!  
> ♥ Eren in [blue hair and a crown full of flowers](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/135073437374/supakawaiidesu-had-this-idea-while-coloring-my)? Yes please! Thank you supakawaiidesu for this beauty!

Mikasa hummed as she peeled the potato in her hand. “So, what’s the special occasion?”

“What do you mean?” Levi asked as he chopped up onions beside her, still keeping an eye out to make sure she doesn’t accidentally injure herself.

The little girl rolled her eyes at that. “You don’t usually make croquettes since it has too many ingredients and takes long to make them,” she explained.

He shrugged. “Can’t a dad make his daughter’s favorite side dish from time to time?”

“Yeah, but you’re also making curry too.”

Levi didn’t respond to that as he moved on to fry up the onions. She had a point though. Even though curry and croquettes were her favorites, the man rarely made it for her as those dishes require several ingredients and a lot of time.

However, after the events that happened a few hours ago, she deserved to eat like royalty.

Mikasa let out another hum as she peeled the last potato. “All done. Do you need me to do anything else?”

“No, that’s fine. When you get upstairs, be very quiet, okay? Eren is recording his livestream.”

“Oh, is he?”

Levi was glad that his back was facing her since he was smirking at her innocent tone of voice. “Yes, he is. Now shoo, go do your homework. Dinner will be ready in about an hour or so.”

“Fiiiiiine,” Mikasa dragged out as she left the kitchen and quietly went up the stairs.

The man chuckled quietly as he put the rest of the vegetables into the pan before reaching over to the laptop that was set onto the counter earlier and opened up Eren’s livestream. He watched as the brunet open each package with a bright smile on his face and listened to Eren talk through the stream as he continued making dinner.

It was an hour later that Eren finished opening his fanmail and said his farewells and thanks to everyone who joined in on the stream before all sound from the video cut off. Good timing too since Levi finished frying up the last croquette and placed it on top of a stack of the others.

He was in the middle of washing dishes when he heard footsteps going down the stairs. Levi turned his head to see Eren peeking into the kitchen and gave the older man a sheepish grin. “What’s cookin’ good lookin’?”

Levi snorted as he shook his head in an amusement, unable to hide his smile or the blush that crept onto his face. “Curry and croquettes, Mikasa’s favourites,” he replied as he went back to washing the dishes.

Eren walked over to him and slowly wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist. The brunet felt Levi’s body stiffen at the sudden action, but then relaxed before he resumed cleaning again. Taking it as a sign to be bolder, Eren pressed closer so that his chest was against Levi’s back and ducked his head onto the man’s shoulder. “Is this okay?”

Levi felt his heart beating rapidly, as he tried to clear his throat. “Y-yeah.”

Eren held him tighter and lightly kissed the raven’s neck. “How about this? Is this okay?” he murmured.

 _‘That’s so not fair,’_ Levi mentally groaned as he finished the last dish.

He dried his hands and quickly turned around to break Eren’s grasp on him and cupped the brunet’s cheeks, almost laughing at the look of surprise on his face. Taking advantage of that, Levi stood on his toes and placed kisses up along Eren’s neck to his lips, leaving a longer kiss there. Pulling away, Levi watched as Eren’s face flush a beautiful pink and he couldn’t help but smile. “More than okay.”

Eren beamed, wondering what he had done to have this perfect man before him. He looked up and noticed the laptop at the corner of his eye. From where he was standing, he was able to see that it was _his_ YouTube channel open and that the video was from the livestream. Shaking his head, Eren chuckled. “You’re adorable.”

Levi followed his gaze and blinked. “I haven’t missed one so far and I’m not going to start now.”

“Again, you’re adorable,” Eren said as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose with Levi’s.

“You say that, but then you immediately do cute shit like this,” Levi argued. “I’m getting old, Eren; my body can’t handle too much sweetness.”

Eren snorted. “Says the one who inhales every dessert in sight. You're somehow always in the kitchen right as I take something out of the oven.”

“In my defense, your baking is to die for,” Levi said with a slight pout. It has only been a few hours since they conveyed their mutual attraction to one another and already Levi felt on top of the world and didn’t give a rat’s ass of how uncharacteristic he may seem at the moment. "I will gladly spend the rest of my life eating every cake that you make."

“Trying to butter me up, eh?” Eren said as he wiggled his eyebrows. He laughed when he received a playful slap on his arm when Levi backed away. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Is there anything I can do to help? I can set the table if you want."

"Sure. Everything is on the plates already but we probably need some sauce for the croquettes. I'll go get Mikasa while you get things set up."

"Perfect," Eren pecked his forehead before moving on to doing what he was supposed to do.

A feeling of contentment and joy washed over him as Levi left the kitchen to go up the stairs to Mikasa's room. Stopping in front of his daughter's door, he knocked. "Mikasa? It's time for di-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence before the door opened and he looked down to see Mikasa's bright smile. "Yay! Hey, did you tell Eren yet?"

"Yeah, he's downstairs setting up the table."

"Oh."

Levi raised an eyebrow at her dejected tone of voice. Why was she- oh right. She was talking about her sneaky little plan and if it worked. He chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "Yeah, "oh," now hop to it. You don't want your favorites to go cold, do you?"

Mikasa shook her head as she maneuvered around him and sped walk down the stairs with Levi following close behind. Once she was in the kitchen, she saw that Eren was finished setting up the table and went up to him and hugged him from behind. "Eren!"

"Whoa! Oh hey, Mikasa," Eren smiled as he placed his hand on her back. "You excited for dinner? Your dad made your favorites tonight."

"Mm! I like your leggings by the way."

"And I like your face," he said as he gently pressed his finger on her nose. Mikasa scrunched up her nose and giggled before letting go of Eren and going to the sink to wash her hands.

Levi switched off his phone after recording the cute scene that was displayed before him and pocketed it away before joining them.

Dinner was served and Mikasa wasn’t able to hide her joy when she smelled the familiar spices mingling together. The curry sat on top of a bed of white rice and some of the croquettes were placed on the side. Unable to wait any longer, she took the first bite. “Mmm!” was the only thing she was able to let out before she continued eating.

Levi grinned while Eren laughed at her enthusiasm. Following her lead, the two adults started eating their meals as well. “Oh, yum! This is great, Levi,” Eren complimented as he took another bite.

“Thank you.”

The three of them ate their dinner with conversations here and there. Mikasa slowed down her eating and casually asked, “So how was the livestream, Eren?”

“It was great! I had a lot of fun chatting with the viewers and I have so many snacks I have to share with you two.”

“Cool. Were there any other packages or letters that were interesting?” she innocently asked as she stirred the rice around on her plate.

“I don-” Eren stopped when he felt someone nudging his calf. He raised an eyebrow at Levi but the man just winked and slightly nudged his head towards Mikasa. _‘Ohhh.’_

Concealing his smile, Eren answered, “Actually, there was a rather interesting letter I received.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It was from this little girl.”

“Really now?”

Levi had to turn away to hide his snicker.

“Yup! Though, I don’t exactly recall what it said,” Eren looked up to the ceiling and made a thoughtful look. “She said something about L.A. and something about her dad. Oh, I don’t remember. Levi, do you?”

Levi chuckled at Mikasa’s expressions going from dejected, then hopeful, and then dejected again. “I think I might.” Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he reached over to grab Eren’s hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. “Does this ring a bell?”

Mikasa squealed and got out of her seat and went over to where Levi was and started hugging him (albeit awkwardly since Levi was still sitting). “You did it, Dad!”

Levi’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he let go of Eren’s hand in favor of (lightly) pinching her cheeks. “Yeah, I did. But not without a little help by a certain brat though. I should really ground you for that little stunt you did.”

“I don’t care. You finally did it!” Climbing onto his lap, Mikasa gave him a proper hug before turning around to look at Eren.

“Take care of him, okay? Dad doesn’t like to eat anything too salty, but he likes sweet things. He usually stays up all night recording and it’s hard to wake him up once he’s asleep. He’s crazy in love with cleaning and he doesn’t like mushrooms,” she explained.

“Oi, I’m right here you know,” Levi grumbled.

“Shush,” Mikasa said as she patted his hand like a parent would to calm their child.

Eren couldn’t help but laugh. They certainly were an interesting duo. “I promise I will,” he said with a wink.

“Good. Dad is a big dork but you make him happy and I know that he makes you happy too and you two deserve to be always happy.”

Levi’s eyes softened as held onto her and placed a kiss on her head. “Thank you, Mikasa. It means a lot to us.” Eren nodded in agreement as he reached over to wiggle his fingers against her neck, making her squirm from being tickled. “Yes. Thank you, Mikasa. You did a lot for us.”

“Does that mean you’ll go on dates now?” she asked with a smile.

“I would hope so,” Levi answered.

“And are you going to tell your viewers yet?”

Eren and Levi looked at each other. “I-I think we should wait a little while longer until we do. Is that okay with you, Levi?” Eren asked.

Levi nodded. “I agree. We don’t want YouTube to explode on us. We’ll just wait until the time is right.”

Mikasa hummed in agreement. “But you’re going to tell Hange right? And Uncle Erwin, and Uncle Mike, and Uncle Farlan, and Aunt Isabel too. And Eren needs to tell his friends too.”

“I think we’ll do this one step at a time, Mikasa,” Eren said. “It’ll be our little secret until we’re ready to tell them, okay?” Eren said with a wink.

“Okay,” the two Ackermans agreed and Eren laughed. This little family was something else.

They gave him so much love and happiness and Eren was glad to be a part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're in Germany (specifically in the Hamburg area) and would like to meet up, let me know! :D


	42. Netflix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GERMANY IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! QAQ I’m leaving in a few days and I’m already dreading it. It’s so nice here and the people are absolute sweeties. I even managed to meet up with a reader and a friend and they are so adorable and- UGH! Why do they have to be so far away?! ;w; Anyways, moving on from my moping...
> 
> ♥ heichou-no-no has blessed us with not only one, but TWO Erens! Eren from [chapter 29](http://heichou-no-no.tumblr.com/post/135148196439/this-is-also-for-cocoachouxs-fic-click-on-my) and Eren from [chapter 34](http://heichou-no-no.tumblr.com/post/135147944924/um-so-i-drew-this-for-cocoachouxs-fanfiction)!

“It was really sweet of Mikasa to do this for us.”

“Yeah, but I think it’s more like she wants to get on my good side so she gets out of her grounding.”

Eren laughed as she nudged Levi with her shoulder. “Is it working?”

“I’m considering it,” Levi mused as he took a bite of his sandwich.

The two were having a picnic at a local park underneath a large tree that provided enough shade to protect them from the California Sun. They were sitting right next to each other with a wicker basket near them prepared with food and drinks Mikasa prepared for the two. Plastic containers were filled with little sandwiches, salads, fruit kebabs, and cupcakes (to sate Levi’s sweet tooth of course – Mikasa knows her dad well enough). There were juice boxes, water bottles, a thermos of black tea, and some plates, cutlery, and napkins as well.

There was not a single cloud in the sky, but there was a slight breeze were some birds chirping along with the music playing from Eren’s phone.

It was so fucking cliché, but even so, Levi liked it.

Eren finished the rest of her juice box and placed it down before reaching her arms up to the sky in a lazy stretch with a groan. Levi felt his lips quirk up as he took the time to appreciate what Eren was wearing.

The brunette decided to wear a [fluttery dress](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/134088085402) and a white beach hat with a blue ribbon. The top portion of the dress was a sleeveless, white chiffon top with beading details and was see-through near the neckline, while the bottom portion was a flowy purple skirt that ended about two inches about Eren’s knees (not that Levi was complaining about it).

Finishing her stretches, Eren turned to look at Levi’s obvious stare with a smirk. “Like what you see?”

Levi snorted. “And if I am?”

“It goes both ways then,” Eren said with a wink as she shuffled away. She turned around before slowly leaning back so that her head was on Levi’s lap. “Is this okay?”

Levi wiped his hands with the baby wipes that were provided (seriously, Mikasa knows her dad _way_ too well) and dried them off before caressing Eren’s cheek with a sigh. “More than okay, Eren,” he said in a low voice.

Eren’s heart fluttered and she felt like her heart would burst. From where she was laying, she could see Levi’s unguarded face of contentment and every emotion in the man’s eyes.

Eren wanted to cry from those eyes alone. They were filled with adoration and Eren doesn’t know what to do with herself from being the recipient of those affectionate looks.

Instead, Eren decided to turn to her side so she could bury her face into Levi’s stomach and shook her head as though it would help clear her mind from being in the clouds.

“Oi, if you don’t stop that, I’m going to regurgitate what I just ate onto you,” Levi warned but the brunette laughed at that. “Gross. That wouldn’t be a good thing to do on a first date, eh?”

Levi took off her hat and placed it away from them before he could run his fingers through Eren’s hair as he hummed. “No, it wouldn’t. And is this considered our first date? We went shopping together that one time and we held hands.”

Eren lightly swatted Levi’s chest. “That didn’t count. We didn’t even know that we liked each other back then and we didn’t kiss either.”

“Oh? So you kiss on first dates?”

“Only if they deserved it.”

Levi stopped his hand movements and leaned down to blow at Eren’s ear. “Is that so? Do you think I deserve a kiss from my queen now?”

Eren shuddered as she felt fingers lightly tracing the side of her arm. She shifted so that her knees were bent closer to her, but that gave Levi the chance to move his attention to her calves instead and she let out a content sigh. “Well? I’m waiting,” Levi said as he continued to trace more patterns with his fingers.

Oh, how she wanted to tackle him down and cover his face with the pink lipstick she was wearing.

But knowing that it wasn’t the safest choice considering that the tree was right behind Levi (and also the fact that there was steadily more people coming in to the park), she opted to grab hold of his head and turned her head to kiss him.

She missed half of his lips and whined when she felt his smirk as he moved his head so that their mouths were a perfect fit. Eren couldn’t help but flutter her eyes closed as she blocked everything around her and just focused on Levi’s lips on her own. The hand that was on her calves moved to pull her up so that she was lifted from her previous spot on his lap to an upright position, deepening their kiss as he did so.

Eren grabbed onto Levi’s signature leather jacket with one hand as the other one was placed on Levi’s chest, loving the feeling of the man’s rapid heartbeat underneath her fingers. She whimpered when she felt a tongue traced her lips and Levi growled before he pulled back to see her dazed expression because holy shit do they need to stop before some parent starts yelling at them for public indecency at a park. “Hah… fuck, Eren…”

Eren coyly looked at him as she traced the inside of her lips with her tongue. “Mm… was that okay for my corporal? He deserved it after being such a good boy for his queen.”

 _“Fuck,”_ Levi groaned out.

The brunette giggled as she lightly patted his cheeks. “C’mon, we gotta head home now. We have some more recording to do.” She decided to ignore sullen expression (she would have caved in if she stared at him any longer) and grabbed her sun hat before getting up to start packing everything away.

Levi grumbled but did as she told anyway and helped her with the packing.

The two were about to leave the park before someone yelled out to them. “HUEMANATEESSTRONGEST!”

The man turned his head and saw two people run towards him but slowed down to a jog. Quirking his eyebrow at the two who had bewildered looks on their faces. “Yes?”

The girl squealed and whacked the guy beside her. “You’re right! It’s totally him!”

“Oh man, it really is you,” the boy said.

“Yes, I really am me.”

The girl and boy laughed. “Wow, I can’t believe it. You’re _the_ Levi Ackerman,” the boy said.

“We’re big fans of yours!” the girl added.

Levi just nodded at the two. “Thank you, I’m glad you two like my snarky videos.”

“They’re the best! I really love the _Until Dawn_ playthrough that you did a while ago. Oh! And I can’t wait for the next _Fallout 4_ walkthrough too!” the girl gushed out.

“Ah, thanks. I’m actually going to record the rest of the _Fallout_ walkthrough today and upload them sometime next week.”

“Oh, okay. We won’t keep you any longer then. We were just wondering if you’ll sign our phone cases for us,” the boy asked.

“Sure.” Levi took out a marker from his jacket (you never know when you need to sign something) and took their phones to sign the back of it. “Here you go.”

The duo looked ecstatic when they got their phones back. “Oh man, thank you so much! You have no idea how awesome this is. Actually, you were the reason why we got together.”

Levi looked at them with interest. “Oh?”

“Yeah! The game club at our college was hosting a gaming tournament and we first met each other there. Somehow we managed to talk to each other and the topic about our favorite YouTube gamers came up and we both said that you are our favorite to watch,” the girl said as she leaned against the boy as he slipped his arm around her waist before she continued. “We then discussed our favorite videos from you and the rest was history.”

“We’re actually getting married later next year in the summer in Hawaii after we finish school,” the boy said.

“That’s… quite amazing. Congratulations you two,” Levi said, not knowing what else to say.

Thankfully, the two of them beamed. “Thanks! And thank you so much for all you’ve done, Corporal! You’re super awesome and you make us laugh every time we watch your videos,” the girl said.

Levi looked flustered and lost from all the praise and Eren giggled. “Wow, never knew you were a matchmaker, Levi.”

The couple gasped once they realized who was beside Levi. “Oh my gosh! You’re Eren!” the girl squealed.

“Wait, are you two on a date?” the boy asked.

“Are the rumors true? Are you two dating?” the girl probed.

Levi stepped in when he saw Eren’s panicked expression and took Eren’s hand with is. “We are,” he said firmly.

Eren sighed in relief as she squeezed Levi’s hand and nodded at the couple. “Yes, we’re just keeping it on the down low for now. Can we ask you two not to say anything about it yet until we make an announcement about it?”

The two nodded simultaneously and the girl took a step forward. “For sure! We have to get going now, but thank you so much again for everything, Corporal, and take care of the pretty Queen, alright?”

Eren and Levi flushed and the man nodded. “Thanks, and I will. Hope you two have a great summer and good luck with school.”

“And congratulations on your engagement. I hope you two have a beautiful wedding,” Eren added.

“Thanks. Also, nice lipstick by the way, Corporal,” the boy said with a laugh as he and his fiancée waved goodbye with big smiles on their faces as they walked away.

Levi covered the bottom half of his face and quickly took out his cellphone to see his reflection. Pink lipstick smeared around his lips and whipped his head to the laughing brunette. “Eren!” he hissed out.

Eren’s laughter died down, but there was still a giggle when she replied. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that, honest.”

Levi looked away because dammit, he was supposed to be mad but he couldn’t because Eren was enjoying herself. “Whatever.”

The brunette tapped his cheek and said, “Look on the bright side, Levi. You look good in pink.”

* * *

“I’m home!”

Eren and Levi turned their heads to see Mikasa at the living room entrance. “Welcome back, kiddo. Did you have fun at Annie’s?” Levi asked.

Mikasa hummed as she walked towards them. “Yeah! We finished our homework and her dad made lasagna for dinner.”

“Oh, sounds yummy. Maybe I should try to make that for us soon,” Eren said as she pulled away from Levi on the couch to let Mikasa sit between them.

“That would be nice. So, how was your date? What did you do?”

“Well,” Levi said as leaned over her. “We went on a picnic with the lunch you provided for us.”

“Which was delicious, by the way,” Eren added as she leaned onto Mikasa as well.

“Yes, it was. And we kissed.” Levi let out a breathy laugh when Mikasa let out a delighted gasp. “And when we were leaving, some of my fans came up to us for autographs. They were a couple, and apparently I was the reason why they became close.”

“Really?”

“Yup, your dad is pretty cool, eh?”

“Sometimes,” Mikasa said in a teasing voice, laughing when she felt Levi’s fingers tickle her sides.

“Little shit,” Levi said with mirth. “Anyway, they figured that we were dating and we told them to keep hush about it. When we got home, we did our video recordings and once we were done, we were watching some movies on Netflix before you showed up.”

“Oh. So were you two cuddling then?”

Levi flushed and Eren decided to answer for him. “Yes, we were.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll go to my room then.” Mikasa tried to shift away their hold on her but didn’t make it far before to pairs of arms trapped her back to them.

“Hey, stay here. You get to pick the next movie,” Levi said.

“But I-”

“Mikasa, stay here with us. Please?” Eren asked.

“… okay.”

Eren and Levi looked at each other with a smile as the small Ackerman made herself comfortable between the two as they held her closer to them and looped their arms around her. “I feel like I’m trapped,” she said.

“Well, that means you’re our prisoner and there’s no chance to escape. Now, choose the final movie you’ll watch before you’re here forever,” Eren said teasingly.

Mikasa giggled as she took the XBox controller and selected one to watch with her family.

* * *

Mikasa slowly opened her eyes to see that she was still in the living room. She yawned and tried to stretch, but she couldn’t feel her arms. Looking at both sides of her, she saw that her dad and Eren were still asleep.

Silently maneuvering out of the tangled limbs, she managed to shimmy her way out of their grasp. Mikasa looked at the two; their heads were almost touching each other and Mikasa saw that their fingers twitch from the lack of body heat.

She muffled her laughter as she took a picture of them close together with her cellphone and then sending it to them both.

Making her way over to her dad, she took out his phone from his pocket, and saved the image as his background picture and did the same thing with Eren’s phone that was left on the table. (They thought they could trust Mikasa with their passcodes. Hah, as if.)

Shutting off the TV, she quietly walked to the entryway and closed the lights behind her.

 _‘Glad that they enjoyed their date,’_ Mikasa thought with a hum as she walked up the stairs to her room. _‘I wonder if I’m still grounded.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not THAT kind of chill people. :P


	43. Bridal Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is being a little shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back from my trip! :D I did a lot of writing in the past few days (17k of words in total. OTL)
> 
> Check out the amazing stuff this week!
> 
> ♥ candied-cravat is trying to kill me with [the scene](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/135584342776/from-chapter-43-of-comh-by-cocoachoux) that you'll read below. GAHHH!!!!!  
> ♥ The pastel-punk-cosplay blog is open and it starts off with a cosplay of [Eren's winter outfit](http://pastel-punk-cosplay.tumblr.com/post/135935201567/hello-i-finally-made-an-eren-this-is-supposed-to)!  
> ♥ And an [older!Mikasa](http://crystalkitty22.tumblr.com/post/135172821087/cocoachoux-i-got-some-new-pastel-pens-and-i-ended) wearing pastel/punk was done by the lovely crystalkitty22!

“It smells different here,” was the first thing Mike said as he entered the Ackerman household.

“Well thanks for coming over to insult my home, asshole. And how dare you, you of all people should know that my house doesn’t ever smell,” Levi said as he shut the door behind him.

Mike shook his head. “It’s not a bad smell, it’s… different. Lighter? Happier?”

Levi snorted as they walked towards the game room where everyone else was getting ready for the stream. “Didn’t know that you can smell emotions now, Mike.”

“It’s a feeling more than anything. What happened since last Friday when we were here?”

“Nothing,” Levi said, but he replied a bit too quickly since Mike raised an eyebrow at him. “Alright, fine. Something did happen but I’m not going to say it yet.”

Mike breathed out through his nose as they entered the game room. “Okay. We’ll know soon enough I guess.”

Levi nodded at that and the two went to the couch and sat in their usual spots as the last bit of the set up was finishing up.

Once everyone sat down and attached their mics, the stream started with the usual introduction and selection of the game that they would be playing that night – a series of _Jackbox Party Pack_ games, which was fine for them since it meant that everyone was able to play except for Isabel since she was in charge of reading out any tweets and regularly checking the stream on YouTube so it doesn’t crash.

They were too busy discussing what was with the drawing on the screen that they whipped their heads when they heard laughter behind them. “Oh, sorry, sorry,” Eren said once their laughter died down. “Didn’t mean to interrupt, but what is _that_?”

On screen was a poorly drawn cat with scribbles surrounding it, making it seem like it was a lion-cat hybrid or a cat with curly human hair.

Mikasa got up with her phone in hand as she gave Eren a hug. “Welcome back, Eren! We’re playing _Drawful_ right now. Come join us!” Mikasa greeted as she took hold of Eren’s hand and dragged them to the couch. “Sit next to Dad,” she ordered and pushed them towards Levi.

Hange scooted away from their spot beside Levi. “Come here, precious. Sit between me and Levi!”

Eren grinned as they walked over and sat between the two, leaning close enough against Levi that their legs were completely touching. Levi felt himself twitch, tempted to wrap his arm around Eren’s shoulders but refrained from doing so while they were doing a stream.

“Hey Eren, people are asking what your pronouns are,” Isabel asked out.

They grinned and said, “How nice of them to ask. Thank you, and it’s they/them right now.”

Isabel gave them a thumbs up and went back to refreshing the channel to make sure the video was running okay. “Oh! People are complimenting you on your outfit too.”

“They’re right. You look very cute today, Eren. As expected of a beauty guru,” Erwin complimented.

Eren looked down at the outfit they were wearing. They wore a simple white blouse with [green overalls](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/135015271369/thesadisticsiren-makeitpoppy-himi-store) on top that stopped mid-thigh. They had on nude leggings, but there were some white and blue flowers embroidered on, making it seemed like they were painted on their legs. To top it off, they wore some pink flower clips on their head and their white-framed glasses were resting on their nose.

Smiling, Eren waved to the cameras and thanked the audience for their kindness before laughing again when they looked at the screen and saw a drawing of a weird, human-like shape with dotted lines around it. “Who drew that?” Hearing a mumble to their side, Eren turned to look at Levi’s embarrassed face. “Levi? Did you do that? What is it?”

“That’s the point of the game, Eren,” Levi mumbled out, slightly grumpy that everyone was laughing at his drawing. “And it’s not easy to draw on a phone,” he tried to explain.

“I’m sure it is,” Eren said as they lightly patted Levi’s knee as reassurance.

Eren had to turn their head away as they saw the different answers on the screen: alien, badly drawn human, crop circle, big foot sighted, titan, chalk outline and Eren’s personal favorite, ‘Levi just don’t anymore.’ (Levi reached over Eren to smack Hange on their arm for the last answer).

They watched as everyone got someone else’s answer, except for Mikasa since she got it right.

“How was that a ‘titan’?!” Farlan called out.

“It definitely looked like a chalk outline to me,” Mike agreed.

“That was a really bad drawing, Levi. I didn’t see ‘titan’ at all,” Eren added in.

Levi gave them a mock shocked expression. “Eren, no. You were supposed to be on my side.”

“Mm, nope,” Eren laughed as they leaned their head on Levi’s shoulder, but immediately shot back up once they realized what they were doing. “Uh, I’m just going to get us more drinks,” they said as they got off from their spot and walked towards the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?” Isabel offered.

“Nope! I’m good, thanks!” they said as they turned the corner, ears flushing a healthy pink.

“Are they okay?” Armin asked.

Levi looked at the area where Eren last was before returning his attention back to the screen. “Yeah, Eren’s fine,” he said, trying not to sound dejected. He already missed the weight of Eren’s head on his shoulder, remembering the few times they did it during the course of the past week with him running his fingers through brown locks, loving the way they felt as Eren was lulled to sleep.

Shaking his head, he looked at the screen at the next drawing and typed in his sarcastic response with a huff.

Eren came back several moments later with a tray of drinks for everyone and passed them around before sitting back next to Levi. The raven invited them to join in, making it a full 8-players playing. Levi switched the game to _Fibbage_ and after a few hours, he realized, that though Eren was a horrible liar when confronted, they were great at making a lie seem very convincing as they won three rounds in a row.

The stream eventually ended, and Levi let out a sigh of relief, happy that Isabel didn’t ask him and Eren questions about if they were dating or not. The first time Eren joined the stream weeks ago, there was an onslaught of tweets and comments asking if they were dating and what exactly their relationship was to each other and it made Eren uncomfortable to answer them. Isabel since then understood their discomfort and refrained from asking them out loud (even though there were always still people asking as neither of them made a public announcement about their relationship).

Mike stood up so he could start with the cleanup but stopped abruptly when he passed by Eren and Levi who were still sitting. Ducking his head, he breathed in a few times and his eyes widened. “No way. It happened?”

Both Eren and Levi gave him a confused look but there must be some unspoken communication between Mike and his husband because Erwin’s eyebrows shot up. “It did?”

Erwin’s surprised voice must’ve gained everyone else’s attention because all of a sudden, all eyes were on the two sitting on the couch.

Hange looked between Erwin and Mike and then to Eren and Levi a few times until it finally clicked in. They shrieked in delight and tackled Eren, who was closest to them, which also caused Levi to fall over as well. “LEVI! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US?!”

“What are you talking about? And get off of us first!” Levi said as he tried to push Hange away from him and Eren.

Though Levi didn’t mind Eren was on his chest, he wasn’t fine with Hange crushing them together.

Hange shook their head and laughed as they pressed more of their weight down, squishing Eren and Levi into the couch more. “Nope! This is punishment for not telling us that you and Eren got together!”

“WHAT?” Isabel and Farlan yelled out.

Levi groaned, both from the lack of air and the upcoming attack of questions that he knew that was going to happen. Wrapping his arms around Eren’s waist, he rolled them off the couch onto the floor and away from Hange and used his body to cushion the fall. “Oof.”

“Levi? Are you alright?” Eren asked above him.

“I’m fine. I would feel great if my friends would leave though.”

“Not a chance! Why didn’t you tell us? I’m so offended right now,” Farlan said with a disappointed tone of voice.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Just stop, Farlan. And our relationship is relatively new, so we thought it would be best if we waited a bit longer, but I didn’t expect Mike to sniff out emotions of all goddamn things,” he grumbled, still on the ground with his arms wrapped around Eren’s waist. “It’s getting late and you guys need to go home so shoo.”

“Not until you kiss Eren first!” Isabel demanded.

Levi flushed but shook his head. “I’m not going to do anything that makes Eren uncomfortable.” He felt movement coming from Eren and looked up. “Eren?”

Eren gave him a small smile before leaning down to place an innocent kiss on Levi’s lips. It was short and sweet, but long enough for Levi to hear his friends cheering when Eren pulled away. “I guess this should satisfy your friends, eh?” they whispered. Levi shook his head with a smile as he slowly got up and Eren moved so that they weren’t straddling Levi no more. “For now,” he said as he held Eren’s hand.

“That is so sweet! I’m going to die from it!” Hange said as they dramatically placed their hand over their heart as if it was wounded.

“Okay, okay, enough of that,” Erwin said. “We can interrogate Levi once we’re fully rested for the morning.”

Levi groaned again. “I hate you.”

“Love you too,” Erwin replied back, not missing a beat. “Now, come on everyone, let’s go and give the lovebirds some privacy.”

Levi stuck the middle finger at his friends as they left the room once the cleanup was over but dropped it once Armin came up to him and congratulated them on their new relationship. The raven couldn’t help but smile as he ruffled the blond locks. “Thanks, kiddo. Have a good night, okay?” Armin smiled as he waved at them as a farewell before following his parents out of the room.

Once he heard the cars leaving the driveway, Levi shoulders dropped down in relief and he leaned his head to rest on Eren’s shoulder. “Sorry.”

“Hm? What for?”

Levi absentmindedly rubbed patterns on the hand he was holding. “I know that we said that we should wait until we would tell our friends, but I didn’t expect it to be this early. Then again, I should have known from the beginning since they’re a bunch of lunatics after all.”

Eren laughed as they rested their head on Levi’s. “Levi, it’s totally okay. They were bound to know sooner or later. I’m just glad that they accept us.”

“Of course they do,” Levi shot his head up and reached to cup Eren’s cheek with his free hand. “You’re wonderful, Eren. You make me undeniably happy and they know it. I’m so glad that you chose to be with me despite my crude language and lack of social interactions.”

Eren kissed Levi again and smiled when they pulled away. “That makes both of us. You make me happy too, don’t forget that.”

“Yeah, but you guys forgot about me.”

Eren and Levi whipped their heads to see a pouting Mikasa on the other side of the table, but her saddened look was ineffective since her lips were twitching as she was trying her best not to smile.

Levi rolled his eyes playfully and opened his arm as an open invitation. Mikasa moved around the table and hopped onto Levi. “Ugh, you’re getting heavy.” He laughed when he felt her small punch.

Mikasa pouted for real this time. “No, I’m not. You’re just getting old, Dad.”

Levi scoffed at that. “As if. I can carry you and Eren, no problem.”

“Do it then,” she challenged.

The man lifted his brow at that but let go of her so that she could latch onto his back so he could give her a piggy back. Once she looped her arms around his neck and her legs around his chest, Levi reached under Eren’s leg and made them tilt backward so that Levi could hold them bridal style. Securing his footing, Levi slowly got up to make sure no one got jostled and proceeded to walk out of the game room.

He didn’t make it far because he then heard a ‘thud’ followed by an “ow!”

Levi immediately stopped and looked down to see Eren wincing and vigorously rubbing the back of their head. _‘Huh? Why would they-’_

Oh no. He accidentally whacked Eren into the door frame.

Realizing what he had done, he held Eren closer to him. “Oh shit. Shitshitshit! Fuck I- Eren, I’m so sorry, are you alright?” He wanted to take a closer look and was about to put them down, but Eren surprised him but wrapping their arms around Levi’s neck and started laughing.

“You just- I can’t believe you just- I can’t-” Eren wasn’t able to form a proper sentence as they continued to laugh.

Levi felt rumbling on his back and he turned his head around just in time to see Mikasa laughing. “I can’t believe you did that, Dad! You’re such a dork!”

He felt his face flush in embarrassment as the two continued to laugh. Despite wanting to have a hole appear below him, he let out a smile in amusement. “Shut it.”

“No way. I’m so going to tell Aunt Isabel and Hange this.”

Levi grumbled in response and looked down to see Eren’s laughter died down to giggles. “You alright, Eren? I’m really sorry about that.”

Eren shook their head. “I’m fine, Levi. Though…” They leaned up a bit so their face was closer to Levi’s. “I would like a kiss to make it better.” They bent their head down so all Levi could see was Eren’s brown hair.

Seeing that it was one way to rectify the situation, Levi placed little pecks on Eren’s head. “Better?”

“Hm, I think I need more kisses,” Eren demanded.

Levi raised a brow at that but then he felt Mikasa shift behind him as she leaned forward to kiss Eren’s head too. “There! Is that better, Eren?” she asked.

Eren lifted their head and smiled at the two. “Yup! All better now.”

Levi shook his head in amusement. “Greedy little shit,” he mumbled. He shifted his hold on Eren, and Mikasa took as a cue to latch onto him again.

With a huff, Levi walked towards the staircase, making sure he didn’t knock Eren into something this time. “Now, let’s go to bed and never speak of this ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are also a few things non-COMH-related but I think you may enjoy it! ^O^
> 
> ♥ I wrote this little [one-shot](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/135415978984/rose-tea) for magickitt and she replied with this [heart-clenching artwork](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/135696490838/rose-kisses-from-rose-tea-by-cocoachoux-yup-i)! QAQ  
> ♥ On AO3, I posted my [Secret Santa fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5524034/chapters/12751232) (final part will be posted before the end of the year)!  
> ♥ And if you want something more fluffy (*gasps* yup, more fluffy than COMH!), I recently posted my [smol!ereri babs](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5534114/chapters/12768356) on AO3!


	44. Workout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s no coincidence that workout and make out rhyme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I’m back home, and I hope that I’m not going anywhere else for a while. (For those of you who don’t know, I was in Toronto for a few days) I did manage to finish the final part of my Secret Santa ([here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5524034/chapters/12751232)) and posted a new chapter in [Smol Adventures](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5534114/chapters/12768356) for the New Year! ^^ /shameless plug
> 
> Anyways, check out this week’s awesome fanart! :D
> 
> ♥ ice-cream-connie drew our lovely [pastel beauty](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/136400233955/ice-cream-connie-ive-been-putting-this-off-for) in an equally lovely outfit!

Levi groaned as he flopped onto the couch. “Ugh, I feel like I ate my weight’s worth of food.”

“Wow, that’s a lot, Dad. Since, you know, you’re pretty heavy already,” Mikasa commented as she passed by the living room.

“Oi!”

Mikasa laughed as she went up the stairs to her room. Levi grumbled as he stared at her retreating form from where he was sitting.

Eren laughed as he sat beside the man and leaned against him. “To be fair, we did eat a lot tonight.”

“She’s getting smart with me, Eren,” Levi said as he leaned into brunet. “Tell her to stop.”

“Mm, but she learned it from the best,” Eren literally pointed out as he gently poked the side of Levi’s stomach. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat that much.”

“Hey, it’s rare that Izzy cooks and she is a master on the grill. I had to eat enough until the next time she does,” Levi defended.

It was the last day of school for the kids and Isabel offered to host a party at her and Farlan’s place to celebrate. Levi doesn’t know what kind of magic Isabel possessed, but whatever she made on the grill, tasted like pure heaven (second to Eren’s baking of course). The only reason why she doesn’t cook as often, was because she doesn’t like the cleanup afterwards, even with Farlan helping and Levi’s offer to cleanup, so she only grills on special occasions.

Levi was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Eren’s hand rubbing his stomach in circular motions. “I’m not pregnant you know.”

Eren chuckled at that. “You sure? Because I’m 100% certain that you’re housing a food baby in there.”

The man looked down at his protruding belly and snorted. “If I am, you’re taking full responsibility.”

The brunet laughed and kissed Levi’s cheek. “Okay. Then I guess you’ll have to take care of mine too,” he said as he shifted slight away to lift up his pink tank top to show off his own swollen stomach.

Levi snorted again as he reached over to lightly trace the lines of Eren’s abs and said, “I guess we both need to work out, huh? As good as a chef Izzy is, I swear we put on an extra five pounds tonight. No wonder Farlan does most of the cooking.”

Eren let out a noncommittal hum as he let go of his shirt and scooted over back to Levi’s side and mumbled, “Working out together sounds like fun. What do you suggest we should do?”

Levi smiled as he kissed Eren’s nose before resting his head on his shoulder. “I’ll go text Erwin to see if he’s up for training both of us.”

Eren nuzzled Levi’s head and the raven felt the rumbles coming from Eren’s throat as he hummed before replying in a sleep voice, “Sounds good to me.”

The gamer let out a smile as he held onto Eren’s hand with his own and the other hand found its way onto Eren’s stomach, rubbing little circles and feeling the rise and fall as Eren started to fall asleep before he closed his eyes as well.

* * *

“Just 20 more and you’ll be good to go.”

“You said that a while ago yet here I am, still doing more,” Levi gritted out as he exhaled, lifting the weight above his head.

“Less complaining and more lifting,” Erwin said.

Levi grumbled as he continued on with his lifting, his muscles screaming for him to stop.

Seeing his friend’s look of annoyance, Erwin glanced over to where Eren was sitting nearby, chugging down a bottle of water to cool down. “Eren? Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure. What is it?” he asked.

“Can you be a doll and sit on Levi while he’s bench pressing?”

“What?” came from both Eren and Levi, the latter almost dropping the weight but thankfully, Erwin was able to catch it before it crushed him.

Making sure Levi was back to his original form, Erwin nodded to the brunet. “You heard me. I heard that if you have your lover sit on you while you work out, depending on what routine you’re doing, it can be used as positive reinforcement and can garner good results.”

Levi rolled his eyes as he regained his grip on the weight. “That sounds like bullshit.”

Erwin shrugged. “It’s worth a try. You have about 15 more until you’re done, but I wonder how fast you’ll be able to complete it if Eren was your reward. Eren, if you please.”

“Eren, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” Levi grunted as he did another press.

“Nah, it sounds like fun,” Eren said as he went over to his boyfriend, lifting his leg over Levi’s lying body and sat down on his pelvis. “Am I too heavy?”

“Shit, no,” Levi said as he tried not to think about the weight down there and the delicious body that was an arm’s-length away from him. Without realizing it, he felt himself lifting and dropping the weight faster.

“Oh, very good, Levi. Just 10 more to go,” Erwin praised.

Eren rested his hands on Levi’s abdominals and said in a sultry voice, “C’mon babe, I know you can do it. Are you going to be a good boy for me?”

Well, he couldn’t really disappoint Eren when he was asking like _that_ , could he?

Levi’s muscles were sobbing in relief when he did his final press. Once Erwin grabbed hold of the weight, Levi quickly sat up and latched onto Eren, pressing kisses up the brunet’s neck until he reached his lips, muffling Eren’s moan with his mouth.

“Hey, hey, keep it in your pants.” Erwin chuckled when Levi stuck his favorite finger at him, not stopping his make out session with Eren. “Alright, I see that I’m not wanted. I’m going to go clean up. Take a shower when you guys are done but don’t take too long or else I’ll get suspicious,” Erwin said as he walked away from the pair.

Levi shooed the blond man away and grinned when he felt Eren’s lips form into a smile. Finally letting go of Eren’s lips, Levi watched as those green and gold eyes sparkling with happiness and mischief before placing a chaste kiss on the lips. “Come on, we need to clean up and take a shower.” Though he said that, he made no movement to get up.

“In a minute?” Eren asked with a pout.

Even though he was sweating profusely and he could feel his clothes sticking on his skin, as well as Eren’s, he couldn’t refuse whenever Eren looked at him that way. “Fine, one more minute until we get ready to get out of here and go pick up Mikasa from soccer practice.” Though school was over for the summer, Mikasa was still part of many (almost all) of the sport teams at the community centre and practices were running throughout the year.

Eren smiled as he hugged Levi, just happy to hold the other man in his arms. “Okay.”

Levi returned the hug, his heart still beating out of his chest in pure joy. Sometimes he wondered if it was all a dream that he was able to hold Eren like this, but the way that the brunet was latching onto him so tight, made him happier to know that no, it wasn’t a dream and that Eren had no intention of letting go either.

Once their minute was over, they wiped down the machines, drank some more water, and showered (in separate stalls). They waved goodbye to Erwin, who had a smirk on his face, and got in Levi’s black minivan to drive to the community centre to pick up Mikasa.

The little girl bounced up to the car and opened the back door and placed her small duffel bag on the seat before shutting the door behind her and sat down and put on her seatbelt. Seeing that she was properly in place, Levi started driving off as Eren asked how Mikasa’s practice went as he paid attention to the road.

“It was good. I was goalie this time and I blocked every shot!” she said cheerfully.

“That’s great, Mikasa!” Eren praised. “Are you hungry? Did you eat any of the snacks I packed for you?”

“Oh, um,” she fidgeted nervously. “Annie said that she forgot her lunch today so I offered my snacks and told her that I had more in my bag.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that and switched lanes. “Mikasa, even though it was nice of you, I’m sure the coach had some extra food for anyone who forgot to bring something.”

Mikasa looked down as she played with the hem of her uniform. “I know, but I didn’t want to be a bother.”

Eren turned around to ruffle her hair. “Mikasa, don’t worry about it so much, okay? You’re not bothering anyone and it’s the coach’s job to make sure the kids are safe and well.”

The girl patted down her hair and pouted. “I know, I wasn’t thinking properly.”

Levi was silent as he parked into an empty spot and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Okay, let’s go eat now.”

Eren and Mikasa looked around their surrounding and Mikasa cheered when she saw the familiar ice cream place. “Yay! Thank you, Dad!”

Compared to Mikasa’s enthusiasm, Eren groaned. “Levi, we _just_ finished our workout. Isn’t this counterproductive?”

The man shrugged. “Think of it as a reward,” he said with a wink before opening the door.

Mikasa happily unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, with Eren shortly following, grumbling about how unfair it was for the raven to wink at him, making him unable to put up a fight when he did that.

The three walked into the store, and Mikasa sat down at the usual table, making sure that it was to her dad’s cleaning standards before sitting down, waiting for the two to order.

“Are you opposed to eating here?” Levi asked.

“Not really, no. Haven’t walked into a Dairy Queen in a while,” Eren answered.

“Hm, just order whatever you like.”

“I’ll order the Mushroom Swiss then,” Eren said offhandedly.

Levi felt his eye twitch as he looked over to the brunet who was whistling. “Eren…”

“Yes? You said I could order whatever I like, right?” he asked, trying to bite down his smile when he saw Levi’s sulking figure.

“Eren, please.” Levi wouldn’t be able to kiss Eren on the lips until he brushed his teeth, shuddering as he thought about the mushrooms Eren would consume to spite him.

Eren chuckled as he leaned down to kiss Levi’s cheek. “I’m joking. I’m not that hungry anyway, so I’ll probably get some ice cream.”

“Good,” he sighed, happy that Eren wasn’t cruel enough to deny him kisses.

The two waited in line until it was their turn to order. The woman behind the counter brightened up when she saw them approaching the front. “Levi! It has been a long time since I’ve seen you here.”

“Hello, Petra. And yeah, a lot of things happened over the last few months. He turned to look at Eren. “Eren, this is Petra, an old high school friend of mine. She and her family own this store. Petra, this is Eren,” he introduced them.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Eren said with a smile.

Petra let out a delighted gasp. “Oh my god, you’re Eren! I’ve watched a few of your videos before and they’re wonderful.”

“Ah, thank you. I’m glad that you enjoyed them,” Eren said with his smile growing bigger.

Petra was opening her mouth to say something until another voice popped up from behind. “Petra, are you done chatting up with the customers now? We have work to do.”

The woman let out a deep sigh as she looked at the new person with irritation. “Calm down, Oluo. And I’m speaking with Levi and Eren right now.”

“Hah?” Oluo finally took a look to the two people in front of him, one who was glaring at him with crossed arms, and the other one who looked confused but he knew that face anywhere. “Oh.” He looked up and down at the other male. “You’re Eren,” he said curtly.

“Ah, yes. And you are?”

Oluo ‘hmph’-ed as he replied, “I’m Oluo.”

Petra shook her head in exasperation and Levi pressed his lips together, but it was obvious he was not pleased with what the other man was doing.

Looking back and forth between everyone, Eren got an idea and said in a gentle tone, “It’s nice to meet you, Oluo. Do you work here?”

“Of course, can’t you see the uniform that I’m wearing?” he said as he crossed his arms.

Petra was about to apologize until Eren placed his elbows on the counter and leaned on them, resting his head on his hands. “Oh, silly me, of course you do,” he said as he batted his eyelashes.

Levi raised an eyebrow as he watched Oluo sputtered out of his position with a flush.

“Tell me, Oluo,” Eren drawled out. “What would you recommend? I’m having a hard time since there are so many choices here,” he said as he tilted his head.

Levi and Petra muffled their laughter as they watch Oluo puff his chest in pride as he began to tell Eren every menu item in the store. The raven was momentarily distracted by the dip of Eren’s back until Petra let out a not-so-discreet cough, laughing when she saw his flustered face. “I take it you want your usual as well as Mikasa’s?”

Levi ripped his gaze from Eren and nodded. “Yes, and anything Eren wants.”

The woman nodded as she punched in the order and Eren’s order after Oluo finished explaining. The brunet ended up just ordering ice cream and thanked Oluo for his wonderful suggestion, making the man look more prideful but scurried away when he bit his tongue.

They got their order and as they were walking towards the table Mikasa saved for them, Levi commented, “You handled that very well.”

“Him? Eh, there are a lot of people like that out there. You just gotta inflate their ego and before you know it, you have them wrapped around your finger,” Eren said.

“Oh hoh, sounds like someone has a naughty side.”

Eren leaned down and whispered into Levi’s ear. “Do you like it?” he asked with a nip on his ear.

Levi smirked as he playfully nudged Eren as they got closer to the table. “Can’t say that I don’t.”

The brunet laughed as they placed down their trays of food on the table and sat next to Mikasa. Levi sat across from them and they started to eat their food.

With a sly look, Eren nudged his foot with Levi’s and the man raised an eyebrow at the challenge. He nudged back, but poked the back of Eren’s calf.

Eren smiled as he took another bite of his ice cream before nudging Levi’s foot again.

“You know, sometimes I wonder if you guys are actually adults,” Mikasa mentioned as she ate another fry.

Levi chuckled. “Nah. Looks like you’re stuck with big children as adult figures, Mikasa.”

“I know,” she said as she stuck out her tongue, laughing when she felt two pairs of feet nudging her.

The family played footsie under the table until it was time to leave, laughing as they left the store with their ice cream in hand.

Eren finally finished his chocolate brownie batter ice cream and looked down at his stomach.

Well, looks like he needed to go workout again.


	45. I Need U

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many cuddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hisses* School starts for me soon. OTL Besides my impending doom, check out the amazing artwork this week! :D
> 
> ♥ CuteMeow66 here on AO3 drew our [Queen](http://sweetpeakitty.deviantart.com/art/QueenPastleEren-580148552?q=gallery%3ASweetpeaKitty&qo=1) and [King](http://sweetpeakitty.deviantart.com/art/KingPastleEren-580149599?q=gallery%3ASweetpeaKitty&qo=0) on her dA!  
> ♥ Does anyone remember the outfit Eren [wore back in Chapter 13](http://kk1495.tumblr.com/post/136842481676/decided-to-draw-pastel-eren-from-click-on-my) for their OOTD because kk1495 sure did!  
> ♥ And the amazing bloodredphantom is back with another wonderful drawing of our [Queen](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/136727850622/i-needed-to-practice-drawing-people-again-so-what)!

_“…thank you and I hope to see you lovelies in the next video! Bye bye!”_

Eren ended the video recording with a sigh. They pulled out the SD card with the video file and inserted into their laptop but didn’t do anything else with it. Instead, they turned off all of the equipment and lighting in their room and walked over to the vanity and removed their wig and the makeup they had on for the video tutorial, refusing to look at the mirror as they did so.

They took off the peach blouse they wore and also removed the bra underneath, replacing it with a baggy shirt and replaced the white skirt they had on with sweatpants as well.

Feeling a bit more comfortable, they grabbed their phone before flopping on the bed. They sent Levi a message that said, ‘Cuddles? :(‘ before placing the phone on the nightstand and went under the covers and waited.

They didn’t wait too long as they heard footsteps coming towards their room. There was a single knock before the door opened and then shut. Eren heard some shuffling sounds before there was a dip in the bed and a hand patting them even though they were under the covers. “Eren?”

Eren peaked out and saw Levi’s look of concern. They shuffled as Levi pulled the covers and lay right next to Eren with their back facing him. They felt arms encircle their waist, drawing them closer to Levi’s broad chest. Eren hummed when they felt fingers going through their hair and felt every inhale and exhale from the man as Levi pressed them closer.

They stayed like that in silence until Levi started pressing faint kisses along the nape of Eren’s neck, making them giggle a bit. “Tickles.” Their breath hitched when they felt his hands going under their shirt and Eren quickly grabbed them. “Don’t, please.”

Levi immediately withdrew his hands and put some space between them. “Eren, I’m so sorry.”

Eren shook their head and turned around to face him, frowning at the worried look on their boyfriend’s face. They reached over to pull him back into an embrace, and Eren felt Levi’s hands hesitate on where to place them but Eren guided them to hold onto their hips. Feeling more relaxed, Eren placed their head on top of Levi’s and closed their eyes.

Levi continued holding onto Eren as he peered over Eren to see the clothes they wore earlier scattered across the room, and the wig and makeup they had on was gone too. Levi had a feeling that he knew what was going on but he remained silent, waiting for Eren to speak up about it first.

They stayed like that for several minutes until Eren let out a deep sigh. “Sorry about this.”

“Don’t be, Eren,” Levi said as he moved up on the bed so he could see Eren at eye-level. “Are you feeling a bit better?”

Eren nodded but there was a slight frown on their face, even when Levi cupped their cheek. “I hate this.”

“Eren-”

“It’s just- It’s so frustrated, you know? Like, I want to know but my mind is screwing me over to think one way and sometimes my body feels wrong and I don’t know what I want and-” Eren ended off with a frustrated cry and Levi silently wiped away the tears that was going down their cheeks.

Once the tears stopped, Levi reached behind him and grabbed a few tissues from the night stand and wiped the tears away, placing little kisses all over Eren’s face once he was done. He held them closer as Eren said, “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry for how you feel, Eren,” Levi said in a stern, yet gentle voice. “Your frustration is valid so you shouldn’t have to apologize for it.”

“I know, but you put up so much for me and you’re so understanding when I have these moments and you’re always there when I need comfort. You even let me put spare clothes and shoes in the car in case I need to change, even though it takes up a lot of space. And-”

“Eren, look at me.”

Eren didn’t realize they were looking away from Levi until the man directed their attention back to him. The man breathed out through his nose but then gave Eren such a gentle smile and eyes filled with affection that Eren wants to cry again. “Eren, I do those things because I care for you and I always want you to feel safe. Your comfort and well-being will always be my priority, okay? When you’re happy, so am I, and I’ll do whatever to see you smile again.”

Eren rapidly blinked the tears that were welling in their eyes again as Levi leaned forward with a smile and kissed Eren, but didn’t move his lips, letting Eren be the one in control of it because they needed it the most.

Feeling that Levi’s lips didn’t move but his hold was still tight around Eren, they briefly wondered what they’ve done to deserve such a sweet boyfriend as they moved their lips so that Levi could follow, relishing the little sighs that escaped the man’s lips.

They lazily kissed for a while, Eren controlling the pace of their kisses. When Eren pulled away, they smiled which in turn made Levi smile as they nuzzled their nose with his. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He pecked their nose and asked, “Is there anything else you want me to do? Would you like a snack or a hot drink or something?”

Eren shook their head. “It’s fine. But if you don’t mind, can you sleep here tonight? Unless you’re busy editing or recording something then it’s okay!”

Levi chuckled. “Sure, anything for you. And I was just doing a StupidQuit video but I think need a break from yelling into the microphone.” Eren laughed and Levi pulled away from their hold on him. “I would like to run a bath for you if you don’t mind,” he said as he got out of the bed.

“With bubbles?”

Levi bit back the grin when he heard the innocent request. “With bubbles.”

Eren let out a happy sound as they dove under the covers and Levi chuckled as he walked into the bathroom connected to Eren’s room.

He was in the middle of wondering which bath bomb to put in when his thoughts were interrupted by the chime from his cellphone, letting him know he got a new text.

Pulling out his phone, he scrunched his eyebrows when he saw the unknown number. Sliding his screen to unlock, he opened the message and his eyes widened and his grey eyes darted to the other room where Eren was still hiding the covers before looking back at the text.

With a smile, he quickly responded to the message before pocketing his phone. Whistling, he placed the sex bomb bath bomb into the warm tub along with a bubble bar to get the bubbles going.

Levi thought about the message he received and his smile grew wider, wondering what Eren’s reaction would be like about the surprise visit. He would definitely have his camera out and ready to record it all.

Once the bathtub was filled with scented water and bubbles, Levi went back to Eren’s room so that he could sweep Eren off their feet and pamper them like they always should be.

Hopefully this time around, he won’t bash Eren’s head into anything.

* * *

“Are you okay?” Eren asked as she cut up some fruits for today’s lunch.

It was the next day since her call for cuddles and comfort from her boyfriend. After the bath, Levi carried Eren into her bedroom and read her funny posts that he found on the web to lull her to sleep. The morning after, she woke up to Levi’s sleeping face, but she was still had the faint feeling of uneasiness with herself. But a few hours after Levi had woken up, and many reassuring kisses later, she was feeling like herself again and returned all the kisses to her boyfriend for being so understanding (which he slightly scoffed at, but didn’t reject the kisses either).

She sighed in relief when it was over, but she couldn’t help but notice that Levi was checking his phone several times throughout the morning. “You seem… fidgety.”

“No I’m not,” Levi said, almost defensively.

Eren raised a brow at that but didn’t say anything else, knowing that Levi would tell her once he was ready, but she couldn’t help but be curious.

_Ding dong._

“Eren, can you go get that?” Levi asked, indicating that he was busy with sautéing the vegetables in the skillet he was holding.

“Sure.” She didn’t comment how quickly he said it, almost as if he was waiting for someone. She placed everything away and washed her hands before walking to the front door entrance, feeling miffed when she heard the doorbell ring several times more. “I’m coming!” she yelled as she approached closer to the door, freezing in place when she heard a familiar voice coming from the other side of the door.

“I NEED YOU GIRL, WAE, HONJA SARANG- … SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING- HAE!”

Eren couldn’t hold in the squeal as she opened the door to see her friends. “You guys are here! Why didn’t you tell me?!” she hugged Connie first since he was the closest. “Your singing still sucks and you didn’t get the lyrics completely right, but I appreciate the effort, Connie-bear.”

Connie laughed as he hugged the brunette. “What? You don’t like my attempts at serenading?”

Eren laughed as she pulled away before being pulled into hug by Sasha. “Group hug!” Eren continued to laugh as she felt more bodies pressed against hers. “Can’t breathe!”

“Do we take your breath away?” Jean asked with a smirk.

“You wish, horse face,” she said as she stuck her tongue at him.

“Are you still using she/her pronouns, Eren?” Marco asked once everyone pulled away.

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“Oh, good ol’ Corporal let us know via text,” Ymir said as she dangled her phone out as proof.

Eren turned around to see Levi at the doorway with a camera in hand, smirking as he turned it off to stop recording and walked over to Eren and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Surprise.”

“You knew the whole time?”

“Got a text yesterday night saying that they landed at the airport and letting me know that they’re coming to visit.”

“Hmph.” Eren briefly pouted but then she smiled. “I _guess_ I should thank you then, even if you didn’t completely planned this out,” she said in a teasing voice.

Levi rolled his eyes as he lightly bumped her with his hip. “You’re welcome, dear,” he said sarcastically as Eren laughed.

“Holy shit.”

The couple turned their attention to the group staring at them with wide eyes and mouths opened. Levi saw from the corner of his eye that Eren was flushing and started fidgeting, looking very nervous. “Eren, you didn’t tell them yet?”

“Uh, no. It kinda slipped my mind?”

Those words triggered something because the whole group started talking at once.

“YOU DIDN’T YOU TELL US?”

“WHEN? When did this happen?!”

“I am SO offended that you didn’t tell us immediately.”

“Friendship revoked, Eren! I can’t believe you didn’t let us know!”

“Congratulations, Eren!”

“I’m happy for you, but we NEED details.”

“Alright, alright!” Eren exclaimed. “I’ll tell you guys everything but keep it down, okay? I don’t want the neighbors to call in for a noise complaint.”

“Good, then you don’t mind us kidnapping you for a few hours,” Jean said nonchalantly.

“Wait, what?”

Jean and Sasha pulled Eren up onto Ymir who held her over her shoulder, holding onto Eren’s legs so she wouldn’t be able to kick her. “Mission: Capture the Queen is a success. Move out!”

Levi watched in amusement as Eren fidgeted around, giving a man a look as she was being carried away by her so-called friends. “Levi, save me!”

The man smirked as he pulled out the camera, showing that he recorded the whole thing in secret again. “No can do, babe. Your friends would probably try to take me too but I have a kid to feed.” Levi laughed at Eren’s betrayed look as he watch them put Eren into one of the cars (probably rented) and slamming the door shut.

Connie stuck his head out of the rolled down window and said loudly, “Don’t worry; we’ll have her back by nine!”

Levi nodded as he waved them off as he zoomed in with the camera as they drove away. Finally turning off the camera, he heard his phone sound off and chuckled when he saw a new message from Eren that said, ‘You suck butt. :(‘

Quickly replying with ‘Later,’ he went back to the kitchen to continue making lunch and was just about done when he heard the front door open and Mikasa strolled into the kitchen. “Hey, how was practice?” Levi asked as he hugged her.

“Good. Where’s Eren?”

“Eren got kidnapped by her friends.”

“That sounds like fun,” she said as she washed her hands and set the table for lunch.

Levi placed down the food in front of her before setting down his. “You gave them my number, didn’t you?”

Mikasa chugged down half of the water on the table before nodding her head in agreement. “I thought it would be good for you to know.” Picking at her food she asked, “Is Eren feeling better now?”

“Much better,” he replied, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair (he just washed his hands). “She’ll be home around nine so you can talk to her then.”

Mikasa hummed in agreement as she started eating her food. The two ate their lunch and had small conversations here and there until both of their phones chimed to notify them of a new message.

Checking their phones, they laughed at the snapchat of Eren’s unamused face with her friends in the background making silly faces with various food items with the caption of ‘Look at my choices.’

Mikasa pulled her dad closer and told him to wink and do a peace sign (he grumbled about it, but did what she asked) as she did the same pose and took a selfie with him and quickly sending it to Eren with ‘Miss you!’ and Levi shook his head in amusement at how cute Mikasa was. “Eren’s going to get back here and cuddle the shit out of you.”

“Nah, she’ll cuddle you first,” she said with a cheeky grin.

Screw it, he’ll wash his hands later as he reached over to ruffle her hair and tickle her sides, ignoring her cries of mercy as she tried to kick him away (thankfully Levi was able to dodge them because for an 11-year-old, she knows how to kick), until he relented and went back to his food, thinking of who would be the right one.

Ah, whatever.

Once Eren gets back home, they would _both_ cuddle her and everyone wins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this fic hit the 100k word mark. I NEVER INTENDED FOR IT TO BE THIS LONG. OTL


	46. Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some interrogation lovin’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started in full-force! QAQ But my honeybuns know exactly how to cheer me up:
> 
> ♥ rawrimadinosaruss did an amazing drawing of our [favourite couple](http://rawrimadinosaruss.tumblr.com/post/137124430068/eren-and-levi-from-comh-i-tried-my-best) in beautiful colours!  
> ♥ Levi will definitely wear [this shirt](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/137145398777/saw-this-shirt-cocoachoux-posted-and-decided-to) in a future chapter that bloodredphantom drew!  
> ♥ [Pastelpunk vs Tumblr](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/137160276009/pastelpunk-vs-tumblr-ereri-inspired-by-this-it) is going to be a thing soon thanks to imasmi!  
> ♥ And candied-cravat drew a very [daring Levi](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/137267100706/just-throw-me-in-the-trash-already-cocoachoux) from the last part of this chapter! ;)

Eren giggled when she saw the snapchat Mikasa sent to her. It was a picture of Mikasa and Levi smiling and doing a peace sign (the little girl probably dragged her dad into doing it). There was a little gap in Mikasa’s toothy smile since one of her teeth fell out last week, and Levi was looking devilishly handsome as he winked and his smile was a lazy grin that made Eren’s heart flutter.

She quickly took a screenshot of the picture and was conflicted on whether or not to use it as her phone background since she still had the wallpaper set as her and Levi sleeping next to each other. (When she and Levi found out Mikasa took a picture of them and set it as their wallpapers, they playfully chased her around the house but decided to leave it as it was in the end.)

She didn’t get a chance on what to decide on as someone snatched her phone away. “Hey!”

Sasha stuck out her tongue as she took a look at the screen and grinned. “Oh, how cute!”

“Toss it here, Sash,” Connie said.

Sasha passed the phone to her boyfriend despite Eren’s protest and he whistled when he saw it. “Damn, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the corporal smile like that before, ever,” he commented as he passed it to Jean who was across from him, who then showed it to Marco and they both snickered. “I don’t know if _you’re_ the one who has them wrapped around your finger or it’s _them_ who have you wrapped around their fingers,” Jean added as he tossed it to Ymir and Historia to see before taking a bite out of the burger he ordered.

The group took her to a nearby diner to get something to eat since they were all hungry (though it was probably Sasha’s whining that made them park into the nearest restaurant) and what better way to interrogate a friend than stuffing themselves with food? (Sasha’s words, not Eren’s.)

Eren flushed as she absentmindedly stirred her milkshake with her straw as she heard Ymir and Historia snickering over the photo before passing back her phone. “It’s not like that…”

Ymir’s snickering ended with a snort. “As if! You got an instant family like that,” she said, snapping her fingers for emphasis. “And you were getting suspiciously close with them in your vlogs. Who knew that you were dating the man behind cameras, eh?” she egged on, laughing when she saw Eren’s face turning redder and redder by the second.

“And when did it happen? I need details, Eren, in chronological order,” Connie demanded.

Eren sighed as she looked down, trying to will her blush to go away. “Uhm, I think it has been almost a month now? We kinda confessed at the middle of May.”

“Kinda?” Marco repeated.

Eren looked up shyly and smiled. “Remember I told you guys about ‘Mr. R’ and his daughter, ’M’, sending me fanmail?” Eren asked and continued when her friends nodded. “Well, it’s actually from Levi and Mikasa. They’ve been sending me stuff this whole time and stopped until I re-opened my PO Box. I guess Mikasa saw it as an opportunity to push us together because she sent me a letter and left a huge hint about them being the ones sending packages to me. When I asked Levi about it, he confessed and said that he was actually ‘Mr. R’ the whole time and when he looked at me, Ikissedhimandhekissedmeback,” Eren finished off quickly as she felt her cheeks flaming with heat as she looked down again and covered her face with her hands.

Not surprisingly, her friends howled and shouted in delight, clapping their hands and nudging each other, making the whole diner look at them from all the noise they were making.

After sending the rest of the patrons an apologetic look, Historia leaned across the table to gently poke Eren’s forehead. “That’s adorable, Eren. And we take it that he truly reciprocated your feelings?”

Eren nodded and peeked through her fingers. “Yeah, and now we do really cute and cheesy stuff together. We hold hands and go on little dates. He helps me with my videos and he is always there when I need comfort. He smiles a lot more and we also do a lot of outings with Mikasa and his friends and I feel like a part of his family without feeling awkward. Guys, I’m really, really happy with my life right now and I’m so glad that I met him.”

Her friends smiled at her as Sasha reached over to give her a one-arm hug. “We’re so happy for you, Eren. You deserve to have someone to treat you like a true queen, and we’re glad that it’s Levi.”

“I think he’s the one.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Though she said it in a whisper, they heard her loud and clear.

Historia’s eyes softened as she pried Eren’s hands from her face and laced her fingers with the brunette’s. “That’s great news, Eren.”

“But, don’t you think it’s too fast to make that conclusion? We only just started dating after all.”

“Who said? Only you are able to make that decision. You can’t help with how you feel, Eren.”

“Historia’s right,” Marco piped in. “Besides, from your vlogs with him, it looks like he feels the same.”

“You’re just saying that,” Eren pouted.

Jean rolled his eyes. “Oh please, the dude’s eyes turn into hearts when he looks at you.”

“I agree,” Ymir said. “It’s so damn obvious and your viewers are hounding you for answers.”

“Don’t I know it,” Eren mumbled. “We said that we’ll wait a while before making any announcements but I think we should make a video about it soon.”

“Oh right!” Connie exclaimed. “We have something cool to tell you.”

“What is it?” Eren asked.

“Sasha and I have talked about starting our own YouTube channel.”

“Really?”

“Yup! We thought that we would do like a fun pranking channel, and when we talked about it with the rest of the group, we thought we could do more with it,” Sasha said.

“Yeah, we thought about doing little shorts as well since Jean knows some cinematography and film making, while as Marco would do all the organizing and planning since he’s currently in an admin job while I write the script and do the directing,” Ymir said before placing her arm behind Historia and pulling the smaller girl closer to her. “And of course Historia would be our makeup artist. We’ll figure out the other roles, but we thought it would be fun to do and if it goes through well enough, then maybe we’ll come here to do more.”

Eren let out a small shriek and clapped her hands. “That would be amazing! I would love to help you guys in any way.”

Jean nodded. “We’re going to need it. We’ve just been brainstorming ideas and thought of channel names and all that but since you have a bit more experience than Historia does with this kind of stuff, you can prove yourself to be useful to us with this,” he said while he dodged the fries that were thrown at him.

“Can it. You almost had a good moment there, Jean-bo,” Eren growled.

“You wanna go?” he asked as he stood up and Eren following suit.

Marco sighed as he pulled Jean down while Sasha did the same to Eren. “No matter how long it has been, the two of you will always be the same. Can you two please behave for a little while longer until we leave?”

Eren and Jean glared at each other but nodded. “Fine,” they said at the same time. Eren smirked and Jean did as well and they just started laughing before reaching out to high five each other. “Good to see you again, Yeager.”

“Back at ya, horse face.”

* * *

“I’m back!” Eren called out as she removed her shoes. She heard rapid footsteps before she felt herself being pushed back by a sudden force. “Oof.”

“Oops,” Mikasa giggled. “Welcome home, Eren,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Eren’s hips.

Eren smiled as she lifted Mikasa up and spun her around before placing a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you. Do you know where your dad is?”

“He’s editing in his room. I was making a snack before you got back. Would you like some to eat?”

“I think I’ll pass this time but thank you for offering, sweetie,” she said as she put the girl down.

Mikasa nodded and told her that she would come by Eren’s room later to talk and the brunette agreed before going upstairs to her boyfriend’s room. She knocked twice before opening the door and poked her head inside to see Levi with his headphones on and editing his video. “Levi?”

The man turned his head at the voice and smiled when he saw who it was. He took his headphones off as Eren approached him and leaned down to give him a kiss. “Welcome back. Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Mhm.” Eren sat on Levi’s lap when he tugged her down. “Still a little mad that you left me to fend for myself.”

Levi chuckled and Eren relished in the rich sound. “Hey, you were the one who forgot to tell them. I’m hardly at fault here.”

Eren pouted as she reached behind Levi and rubbed little circles behind his head and Levi groaned at the feeling. “Fine, fine. And if you must know, my friends approve of you.”

Levi closed his eyes as he felt Eren’s hands move down to massage his neck and then his shoulders. “That’s good to know.”

“Yeah. They talked about starting their own channel too.”

“Oh? That would be interesting.”

“I thought so too. And…”

Levi opened one eye when he felt Eren’s hands stopped moving. “And?” he prompted.

“And I was thinking that maybe we should make an announcement video about our relationship,” Eren said as she stared at Levi, wondering what his reaction would be.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting from him, but she smiled when he did. “I wouldn’t mind if we did one, but are you ready for the onslaught on fanart and fanfiction we’re going to receive?”

Eren laughed as she pressed her forehead with his. “That doesn’t sound too bad, actually. And I was thinking of doing the ‘My Boyfriend Does My Makeup’ challenge for my Queen channel for the announcement.”

“Didn’t you already do one with Historia?”

“Kind of. Everyone was constantly commenting for one and I wasn’t with anyone at the time so I just asked Historia to do it. I’m sure my fans wouldn’t mind if I did another makeup challenge with my actual boyfriend this time,” she said as she moved her head back and kissed along the side of his neck.

Levi let out a little sigh from the light touches. “You sure that I won’t fuck over your pretty face?”

Eren laughed and shook her head. “I trust that you’ll do a fine job. Your eyeliner is on point whenever you feel like wearing it. Did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you have it on?”

“You did,” Levi smirked as he gave a little squeeze to Eren’s bottom, making the brunette gasp. “I don’t mind hearing more though.”

“Behave,” Eren said with a wink as she got up from her spot. “I’m going back to my room and I’m going to hang out with Mikasa since you forgot your daughter was still home.”

Levi jutted out his bottom lip and Eren leaned down to kiss it away. “You can join us once you’re done with editing your video. Then we can do each other’s hair and talk about future video projects. Mikasa and I talked about playing the Sims with you and thought it would be great way to spend more time together.”

“Like a little family,” Levi said as he reached up to caress Eren’s cheek. “I’d like that.”

Eren bit her lips from the three words that were threatening to spill from her lips. The way that he wholeheartedly accepted her into his life with no hesitation does things to her heart and she felt her body surged with emotion. It was scary how fast this man swept her off her feet but she wasn’t complaining at the least.

“Eren?”

The brunette blinked, not realizing she went quiet. “Yes?”

“Do you have something on your mind?” Levi asked in a low voice.

“I do, but I need some more time to think about it.”

Levi nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

Eren kissed his cheek. “Thank you,” she said as she pulled away from him. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“I always need you,” Levi mumbled as he put on his headphones again.

Eren smiled when she heard those words as she closed the door behind her, biting her lips as she walked to her room, preparing to spend a fun evening filled with cuddles with Mikasa and Levi too when he decides to join them.

With a hum, she opened the door to her room and decided that she would wait later to say those words to him, wondering what his reaction would be like.


	47. Makeup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, it seems like they’re unable to keep their hands to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to the lovely people for this week’s amazing fanart and cosplay!
> 
> ♥ captainoftherirenship is back with this amazing drawing of high school [punk!blond!Levi](http://captainoftherirenship.tumblr.com/post/137584010401/for-cocoachoux-sooo-i-asked-you-what-his-mohawk) in a mohawk!  
> ♥ Remember haruka-hourou's QueenPastelEren cosplay? Be sure to check out her [couple's cosplay](http://haruka-hourou.tumblr.com/post/137801089497) with punk!Erwin! (Levi better watch out~)  
> ♥ And [KingPastelEren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/137855422117/i-drew-queenpasteleren-so-many-times-but-wheres) joins Twitch and the [Queen](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/137863955607/another-drawing-of-queenpasteleren-p-cocoachoux) makes an appearance done by super honeybun bloodredphantom!

Levi bit his lips as he watched Eren set up the lighting equipment in her room. There were two stools in front of the vanity and a large display of makeup and brushes were set on top of it.

They were finally going to the makeup challenge video and Levi felt nervous.

“Are you ready, Levi?”

Levi took a glance at the tripod that was holding the DSLR camera with a pensive look. Eren walked over to him and held his hands with hers. “Hey, you okay?”

The man let out a shuddered breath. “Kind of. It’s not like I’m too worried about messing with your makeup, but these are your fans we’ll be announcing our relationship to – they’re like your extended family,” Levi said as he thought back on the evenings where he would massage Eren’s hands because she spent the past several hours writing thank you letters to her fans for their fanmail.

Eren didn’t _have_ to do those things, but she always went above and beyond for her fans. They loved her and she loved them back. And though Eren’s friends accepted him and some fans have been ‘shipping’ them from the start, Levi still sometimes felt as though he wasn’t good enough for her and that he wasn’t able to stand next to her on equal grounds. Her smile could light up a room and Levi could only stare in wonder next to her.

Eren gave him a soft look and kissed his forehead. “You’ll be fine.”

“I can already see the comments: ‘He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself,’ ‘Why are they even together, they are complete opposites,’ ‘He’s so old,’ and the other usual comment section bullshit.”

The brunette’s eyes hardened. “Anyone who doesn’t accept us together can go fuck themselves.” Eren would have normally laughed at Levi’s bewildered face – she doesn’t normally cuss after all – but she decided to continue instead, “If I’m happy and you’re happy and we make each other happy, then there’s nothing wrong with that. I- My fans will love you and those who don’t are just jealous that I snagged the handsomest YouTuber ever,” she said with a wink at the end, hoping that Levi didn’t catch the little stutter. Each passing day, those three words were threatening to spill from her lips every time she opened her mouth but she was stubborn; she was still waiting for the perfect time.

Levi closed his eyes as he sighed when Eren wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, babe. Now c’mon, I want to record this now. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can spam my fans with our couple selfies and I can finally kiss you on camera.”

Levi pulled away and smiled at her. “I’d like that. I can finally tell the world that you’re mine.”

Eren felt like she was going to combust. It wasn’t fair that he was so sweet to her when she was trying her best not to spill all of her feelings onto him all at once. He drove her crazy in the best ways possible.

She sat on one of the stools on one side of the camera view and nodded at Levi to start the video recording.

“Hello my lovelies!” Eren greeted with a giant smile. “Today I’ll be doing the ‘My Boyfriend Does My Makeup’ Challenge with my actual boyfriend this time,” she said as she gestured to the empty seat beside her.

Thankfully, the two had already discussed on how the video would flow and rehearsed a bit of the script to make the editing process faster. Levi waltzed into view and sat down on the stool as gracefully as he could and did a single wave to the camera. “Hello to any legionnaires watching. I’m Levi, also known as HueManateesStrongest on YouTube. I play video games and do a lot of yelling as commentary.” Levi internally cringed at how brisk the introduction was, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Eren laughed, easing Levi’s tension a bit as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Levi and I met back in December and as you all know from my house tour video, we live together, but we officially started dating in mid-May. Levi is a really sweet guy, even though he looks grumpy half the time, but he’s as cuddly as a tiny puppy.”

“Oi.”

Eren giggled as she pulled away and sat up straight before looking at the camera.

“As you can see, I don’t have my makeup on-”

“Which you still look gorgeous with or without.”

Eren smiled as she gently pushed his shoulder. “Sap. Anyways, I have no clue what he’s going to put on me until the very end. You ready, Levi?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Eren and Levi turned their bodies to face each other. She gave him an encouraging nod and Levi returned the gesture. He looked over Eren’s face to see what he wanted to do. He has seen countless of videos of Eren doing her makeup of course, so much so that he knew what kind of look she favored more, and had the honor of seeing Eren’s sleeping face as he recalled the times when he woke up in the middle of the night to see her sleeping form next to him. He remembered the times when his fingertips lightly grazing over every feature of her, from her cute eyebrows to her plump lips.

Lips that leaned forward to kiss him.

Eren laughed when she pulled away from Levi’s bewildered look. “For good luck,” she said with a wink.

Levi playfully rolled his eyes as he nudged her knee with his. “Thank you.” He looked over the makeup display and then to Eren. “Did you cleanse and moisturize your face?”

“Yup!”

“Okay, I guess I should start with concealer then?”

Eren smirked. “It’s your show, babe. I have no say in this.”

Levi bit back the urge to stick his tongue at her but refrained from doing so. Instead, he took her face in his hands and moved it side to side. Eren felt her cheeks get smushed together, making a fishy face. “Hey,” she mumbled out.

“Shush, I’m seeing what I need to work with.”

She poked his firm abdomen in retaliation for that comment.

Levi finally let go of her face and sighed. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

The brunette flushed red and properly nudged him this time. “Stop that.”

“Alright, alright,” he said as he put his hand up in surrender. “I’ll be serious now.”

Eren smiled as she saw Levi’s relaxed form as he picked up one of the various shades of foundation she laid out for him. _This_ was the Levi she wants to show everyone, a kind and playful man, one with an award-winning scowl and a heart of gold (even if he would deny it). So, so sweet and gentle in his unique way and the smallest of gestures made her heart sing.

She was glad that he agreed to do this with her. She wanted the whole world to know how lucky she was to have him by her side and how happy she was with him.

Levi finally found a shade that matched with Eren’s current skin tone (ever since Eren moved to L.A., she went from a natural tan to a beautiful golden bronze from the California sun and that was, in Levi’s words to her, totally unfair of her to be even more beautiful in Levi’s opinion) and applied the foundation onto her skin in even strokes, making sure to get every area.

Eren hummed as she was instructed to close her eyes as she felt the gentle touches of the brush as he put on eyeshadow for her. “Let me know if I’m too rough,” she heard him say. She then felt her head tilt upwards as he moved onto the other eye for the same treatment. “You’re doing fine, Levi.” Her hand was able to find his knee even with her eyes closed and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “It feels really good.” It has been so long since someone did her makeup. She forgot how nice it was to be pampered this way.

“Oh yeah?”

Eren furrowed her eyebrows together when she heard his voice drop to a sultry tone that he fully used to his advantage when he wanted her to make a mess of herself. She bit her lips as she nudged his foot with hers. The action was off-camera, but it was a subtle warning for him to stop speaking that way or else she would say screw the video in favor of screwing her boyfriend instead.

She felt familiar lips on hers before it was gone, hearing Levi’s low chuckle as he mumbled a quick apology before moving onto the eyeliner.

The two chatted as Levi applied more makeup onto Eren’s face until he was done.

“Do I look pretty?” Eren asked.

Levi bit his lips as he passed Eren a handheld mirror. “You’re always beautiful, Eren, but I think I did a decent job if I say so myself.”

Eren took the mirror and looked at the camera with wide eyes. “Okay, here we go.” She held in her breath as she lifted the mirror to see herself, gasping when she did.

The makeup wasn’t overly fancy, but it was done almost professionally. Eren saw that Levi put on purple eyeshadow with her gold eye, and pink for her green eye. She had light blush on and her favorite lavender lipstick.

“You know, that lipstick color was what drew me in when I saw your video,” Levi said as he passed Eren her white-framed glasses. “I fell for you at first sight.”

The brunette wondered if blush was even necessary as she felt heat burning her cheeks as she put on her glasses. “Really?”

Levi gave her the gentle look she was terribly fond of as he brushed away her bangs, letting him see her face more clearly. “Yeah.” He leaned forward to place another kiss on her lips, smirking when he saw her pout when he pulled away. “Challenge success then?”

“Hm, I guess so,” she answered before turning to the camera and gave it a sheepish smile. “I think he did an amazing job, don’t you agree? Maybe I should have him do my makeup all the time, eh?”

Levi snorted but leaned against her. “I wouldn’t mind, but you’ll have to give me time after I wake up. You know how I am in the mornings.”

She nuzzled his head and hummed in agreement. “Yeah, you’re like a grumpy teddy bear.”

“How are teddy bears grumpy?” He asked as he sat back up again.

“You’re the definition of a grumpy teddy bear. You act like an old man but you’re soft and cuddly.”

“I’ll show you soft-”

Eren squealed when he knocked her down onto the floor and tickled her. “Levi!” she gasped out as she continued laughing.

She managed to roll them over so that he was below her. She sat on his lap and caught his hands and held them captive with hers. “You don’t deny that you’re an old man who likes cuddles?”

“I’ve come to fully accept who I am,” he answered with a squeeze. “This position reminds me of my birthday and the time my friends found out about us,” he said as managed to get his hands free and rested them on Eren’s hips. “Can’t say that I mind it though.”

Eren smirked as she grinded herself against him, loving how he let out a low moan and threw his head back, exposing the neck she want to cover with her lipstick marks.

She continued rolling her hips with a pleasured sigh and rested her hands on his chest. “I take it that this is your favorite position then?”

Levi let out small groans as he clenched his eyes shut. “ _Fuck._ Eren, please.”

“Please what?” she asked in an innocent voice.

 _‘Innocent my ass,’_ Levi thought as he shuddered at a particularly hard and slow grind, feeling her hands exploring his chest, wanting her to rip off the black tank top he was wearing so that he could actually feel her fingers touch him all she wants because he was hers.

Every part of him was hers to take.

Levi thrusted his hips up and Eren moaned, a beautiful sound to the raven’s ears, as she closed her eyes from the unexpected feeling.

He opened his eyes and saw his wrecked girlfriend on his lap. Her shoulders were exposed since she was wearing an [off-shoulder dress](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/137118979816/pastel-cheap-bow-print-off-the-shoulder-pleated), but the collar dropped lower to expose more of her shoulders and collar bones. The skirt part of the dress she wore was bunched up and her glasses were at the tip of her nose at the brink of falling off. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was opened as she let out moans and gasps as she continued to grind against Levi.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

He was about to knock her onto her back so that he could please her in a different way when he saw a red light in the corner of his eye.

Oh, fuck.

“Eren, we have to stop.”

Eren halted her movements and opened her eyes. Levi gulped when he saw the blatant desire in the mismatched eyes along with confusion, wondering why he asked her to stop. “Levi?”

“The camera is still recording us.”

Eren’s eyes widened and they both scrambled to get off of each other and stood up with shaky legs.

The brunette turned off the camera recording and removed it from the tripod to view the last few seconds, sighing in relief when she saw that they were no longer in camera view, but it was obvious what they were doing when she heard her moans along with Levi’s.

Face turning impossibly red, she turned off the camera and took out the SD card before looking at her equally-flustered boyfriend. “I guess we’ll have to edit that part out, eh?”

Levi nodded and reached out to hold her in his arms. “Announcing our relationship is one thing; showing off our sex life is an entirely different ballpark that I don’t want to deal with and frankly, I’m not too comfortable with the world knowing about it.”

“Me neither,” she said as she hugged him back. “It’ll just be for ourselves.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying that you would like to make a sex tape?”

“Maybeee,” she drawled out with a grin.

“You kinky little shit,” he said, giving her a firm smack on her ass before letting go. “C’mon, let’s go edit this thing and post it up as soon as possible.”

Eren grumbled with a pout. “You really like my butt don’t you?”

He gave her a cheeky grin that made her want to pounce him and say fuck the video until next time. “Oh, you have no idea. But I also like the rest of you just as much if that makes you feel any better,” he said, laughing when he got a smack to his behind for that answer before being dragged to the computer to start editing.

Levi allowed himself to enjoy the silence with Eren because in the next few hours, he was going to get swamped with notifications by his friends and followers once the video got uploaded. They had to cut out the last few minutes of the video recording but that was okay with him.

There would be plenty of time for Levi to show Eren how much he appreciated her body later that day once he turned off his phone and computer for the night and have Isabel pick up Mikasa so that they could spend a _very_ nice evening together.


	48. Viral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone seriously needs to tell Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the end of the month everyone! ^O^ And there’s some amazing fanart for your eyes to feast on:
> 
> ♥ Get your tissues out because the way bloodredphantom drew Eren and Levi [staring lovingly at each other](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/138062578277/heres-another-doodle-with-both-levi-and-eren-in) hurts (in a good way)!  
> ♥ call-mebrat has brought to my attention that Eren should always be [surrounded in flowers](http://call-mebrat.tumblr.com/post/137376067904/had-this-laying-around-for-god-knows-how-long-and)!  
> ♥ And check out the [Queen in watercolours](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/138317657211/second-attempt-at-watercolor-chouxcocoa) done by the talented candied-cravat!

Levi groaned as he rolled over on the bed, blinking his eyes open as he blindly reached for his cellphone on his nightstand. He winced when the brightness of the screen assaulted his vision but managed to see that it was 5:25 in the morning. He groaned again as he put away his phone and rolled over to see Eren’s back.

The man let out a pleased sigh as he saw Eren’s sleeping figure with the sunrise peering over the horizon from the window. Levi watched the slow rise and fall of Eren’s breathing, unconsciously mirroring their breathing pattern as he scooted closer. He was about to reach out to touch them, but they decided to flip over with a groan and teeth grinding together until they settled comfortably in their new sleeping position. Levi scrunched his nose from the sound but then smiled when Eren let out a snort.

How cute.

He brushed away the bangs covering Eren’s face and the pastel beauty let out a little sigh and Levi swore that he would melt right there.

It was too damn early in the morning, but Levi was wide awake as he watched Eren sleep right next to him. He traced the outline of Eren’s face before moving on to their cute, bushy brows, smirking when it twitched under his fingertips before moving onto their eyes, nose, and lips. Levi kissed their forehead and when he pulled away, he groaned when he finally noticed what they were wearing.

Their [shirt](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/137428897204/hanae-ichihara-light-green-cute-rabbit-short) was nothing too unusual, they usually wore an oversized shirt from their online store, but what caught Levi’s eyes were the frilly purple panties that were peeking from under the shirt whenever Eren shifted just slightly. The blankets were thrown onto Levi’s side of the bed, letting the man have full view of his lover.

 _‘And what a view it is,’_ Levi thought as he touched the lace trim of the panties, making sure he didn’t wake up his sleeping beauty. He should have felt embarrassed by the numerous marks from the night before along their inner thighs, but if he was being perfectly honest with himself, his heart swelled up in pride for claiming this magnificent creature.

He shifted closer so that he was able to drape an arm over Eren and understood why the blankets were thrown off from them – Eren was always warm as a furnace.

Levi didn’t know how long he was watching Eren sleeping for, but was startled when he heard Eren’s phone go off for their alarm. He watched the green and gold eyes he loved so much slowly open from their unconscious state before yawning, him backing away so he wouldn’t be hit with morning breath.

Eren blinked a few times and once they registered that Levi was looking at them, they gave him a lazy grin. “Hey.”

“Morning.”

They sat up and rubbed their eyes before turning off their alarm and immediately fell back on the bed, making the two bounce up, and giggling as they snuggled closer to Levi. “How long have you been up for?”

“Since half past 5. Couldn’t get back to sleep with you beside me.”

“S’not my fault,” they mumbled into the other’s shoulder they were pressing their face on.

Levi kissed the top of their head. “Of course not,” he agreed with an amused tone.

The two stayed in that position with Eren pressed up against Levi and the man wrapping his arms around them. They spoke in hushed voices laced with sleepiness, not realizing how long they spent together in bed until they heard familiar footsteps down the hallway.

Quickly, Levi kicked the blanket to cover the bottom half of Eren just in time for Mikasa to barge into the room and ran towards them and jumped onto the bed between them.

“Whoa, easy there,” Levi said as he sat her down. “What happened? Why are you back so early?”

“Did you two see the video you posted onto Eren’s Queen channel?” Mikasa asked, not answering her dad’s questions.

Seeing their confused looks, Mikasa took out her phone and refreshed the page she was on.

Their eyes widened when they saw that the makeup video already had half a million views already.

“How?! We uploaded that video just before going to sleep,” Eren asked in shock.

“Eren, you almost now have four million subscribers, and Dad, you now have seven million.”

Their eyes grew impossibly wider as they grabbed their respective devices to see for themselves. Their inboxes were pages and pages of unread messages and every time they refreshed the video, there was another thousand that was adding to the view count.

“It has to be the Australians,” Levi mentioned as though it was the answer to everything. He scrolled down to see the comments and he wasn’t all that surprised to see the most recent ones were about.

_OH MY GOD ARETHEY FUCKING_

_THEY'RE FUCKING AREn"T THEY_

_check out my channel?_

_THEY'RE IN LOVE_

_I SHIP IT_

_what is the song used in the intro?_

_I LOVE THIS IS SHIP IT SO HARD_

Levi let out a sigh of relief, happy to know that Eren’s fans accepted his relationship with them and there seemed to be no negative comments so far (aside from spam here and there) as he scrolled through. Obviously, the ones about them possibly fucking had the most likes and Levi really hoped that his daughter didn’t scroll down far enough to see the comments about the last bit of the video. Thanks to a little editing, the video ended off with a black screen and Eren’s voiceover recording so no one could hear about _that_ part of their relationship, but some of the comments weren’t exactly too off either.

The gamer turned his head at Eren’s exasperated groan. “What’s wrong?”

“My friends are being obnoxious, nothing too unusual, but my parents are giving me ‘the talk,’ again, through texts.”

“That sucks,” Levi said sympathetically. “I don’t think my maman has seen the video yet, but I expect a phone call from her soon.”

“Hey, Dad? Did you hurt yourself last night?”

“Hm?” Levi looked down and immediately turned red and so did Eren. _Oh._

Focused on making sure Eren was covered, he forgot that he wasn’t wearing a shirt to bed. If he thought he did a number on Eren, then they returned the gesture twice fold; he had marks all over his chest close to his tattoos and neck and he was tempted to pull some of the blankets to cover himself as well but there was no point if Mikasa already saw the damage.

He turned to the side and coughed awkwardly, not willing to deal with this so early in the morning. “Oh, uh, I-”

There was a crashing sound that startled the three in the bed. “What was that?” Eren asked.

“Oh yeah, Aunt Isabel and Uncle Farlan drove me home and they’re in the kitchen now,” Mikasa explained. She got off the bed and walked across the room to the door. “You two should get up and come downstairs for breakfast,” she said as she left.

Eren and Levi looked at each other and let out the breaths they were holding before laughing. “Your face was priceless, Levi!”

Levi chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m so glad I didn’t have to deal with that now, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that awkward discussion. It was bad enough when my maman tried to explain it to me.”

Eren rolled their eyes. “Couldn’t have been as bad as my dad trying to explain it – too much medical jargon and all that. Passed my health classes with flying colors though.”

With a stretch, Levi got out of the bed and offered his hand. “Well, at least you had a great source to go to for information. But I think we should get some food in us before dealing with our fans.”

They took the offered hand and laughed when they were lifted off the bed, latching their legs around their boyfriend’s torso and poking at some of the marks they made near Levi’s collarbones. “I’ll let you use some of my concealer.”

The man let out a snort. “Thanks.”

Eren smiled as they kissed his neck. “Anytime, babe.”

* * *

Eren walked into the store and the bells jingled to indicate his arrival. He breathed in the lovely floral scent as he walked up to the counter to where Hange was, their back facing them, but when they turned around to greet a customer, their eyes brightened when they saw it was the brunet.

“Eren, my sweetie pie! How are you today?”

Eren chuckled at their greeting. “Hello, Hange. I’m fine, thanks for asking. Good day so far?”

“Business as usual.” They finished arranging the bouquet they were working on and wiped their hands with a cloth before pocketing it in the apron they were wearing. “So, what can I do for you today?”

“I’m looking for some flat flowers like daisies and violets so I could press them. Thought I could do some more craft stuff for my channel.”

“Ohhh, nice! I’ll go grab a few that you may like. Any color preferences?”

“Anything that looks nice together I suppose.”

“On it!” They said as they left the counter.

Eren hummed as he looked around, waiting for Hange to come back. He eyed the large bouquet Hange was working on – about two dozen roses for a graduation based on the ‘congrats!’ tag and image of a graduation cap and rolled up diploma in the corner. He smiled as he thought back to the roses Levi and Mikasa sent to him a few months ago for his graduation.

Walking along the counter, he saw a catalogue book of sorts for customers to order special bouquets and a list of recommended flower combinations. Curious, he flipped through a few pages. Some of the information he already knew such as certain flowers and their meanings and tidbits of roses and their color meaning since his mom was an avid gardener and relayed some of her knowledge to him, but he stopped when he saw a page for ‘Number of Roses Meaning.’

His eyes went down through the numbers until he reached 25. He looked at the bouquet at the counter again and counted 25 roses total – congratulations. No romantic feelings, but a simple congratulations for any occasion.

Eren bit his lips as he pulled out his phone and swiped through until he found the photo of the bouquet for his graduation and counted: 25. Eren flipped back a few pages to see the meanings of the rose colors for pink, red, orange, and purple; and flipped back again to see the number meanings.

The beauty guru must have looked silly if someone was watching him from the outside; he was turning pages and glancing up and down from his phone and making a concentrated expression.

25 roses meant congratulations, 13 was that there was a secret admirer, 6 meant infatuation/’I want to be yours’, 5 was ‘I love you very much’ and 1 was love at first sight; pink for appreciation and admiration, orange for enthusiasm and desire, red for love, and purple for enchantment.

Eren tried to control his breathing to calm down his racing heart, but his mind was running a million thoughts trying to process everything.

Levi loved him.

Levi loved him for such a long time and Eren didn’t understand the message he was giving him.

His mind went clear and he was jumping, unable to contain his joy.

“Eren? What’re you so happy about?”

He turned around to see Hange holding an assortment of flowers in their arms before placing them on the counter. They looked behind him and grinned when they saw the opened pages. “Ah, you finally got it.”

Eren’s smile didn’t waver as he went up to the counter. “He’s such a dork.”

Hange threw their head back and laughed and Eren joined them, unable to hide his happiness any longer. “Oh, sweetie, you have no idea,” they said as they took off their glasses to wipe away tears that formed from laughing so much. “He’s the biggest and most awkward dork I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen him fumble around so much for a person before. He’s like a newborn giraffe trying to walk.”

“But giraffe’s are tall.”

Hange laughed again, pounding their hand onto the countertop from laughing so hard. “Eren, you’re a treasure. Please don’t ever leave his side.”

Even though it was said in an amused voice, Eren detected the seriousness behind it and smiled. “Don’t worry Hange, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good, good!” they said after they calmed themselves down and went back into business mode. “Now, here are the flowers I think would be good for pressing. Do you have any other flowers in mind or color changes?”

Eren looked over the assortment of flat blooms and ferns on the counter with a nod. “No, these are perfect. I’ll take them.”

Hange smiled as they started arranging the flowers to be packaged and Eren felt his gaze wander back to the bouquet he saw earlier.

He tilted his head and an idea formed in his head. Smiling to himself, he called for Hange’s attention.

“Actually, can I get something else as well?”

* * *

Levi took his eyes away from the game he was playing when he heard the front door open. Turning around, he saw Eren walking towards him and he smiled.

“Welcome home. How was- MMPF-”

Levi felt himself fall onto the couch with Eren landing on top of him, who was, by the way, kissing him with every inch of his life. Eren finally let go with a gasp and ran kisses along the side of Levi’s face and down to his neck.

“Shit, Eren, what’s going on?” Not that he was complaining, but this sort of action was unexpected.

Eren pulled away and shoved two red roses at Levi’s face.

“Wha-?” Levi was so confused but accepted the roses anyway.

“I love you.”

Levi snapped his eyes to look at Eren, who was still breathing harshly, and then to the roses in his hand, his mind thinking back to the day he went to Hange’s store trying to figure out how show Eren his feelings many miles away.

_Two roses represent mutual feelings, especially red ones as it represents two people deeply in love with each other._

His heart started beating wildly as he looked up to Eren’s expected look.

“Eren, I love you too.”

It felt like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder, and it seemed like it was the same for Eren as he slumped onto the man with a pleased sigh. “Good.”

“Good,” Levi repeated as he placed the roses onto the table and rubbed Eren’s back. “I’m glad that you got my message.”

“I can’t even compete with you,” Eren pouted. “You’ve been leaving me these hints for _months_ and it’s only recently that I figured it out!” Frustrated, he pressed hard kisses on Levi’s lips, leaving the man breathless every time he did it. “Stupid, adorkable, shy nerd who is super romantic and pushing the right buttons, just- ugh!” Giving up, Eren rested his head on Levi’s shoulder to hide his face.

Levi smiled as he held Eren closer and kissed his locks. “Love you.” His grin grew wider when he heard the same muffled response.

He closed his eyes and was two seconds away from scheduling an impromptu nap when he heard Mikasa yell from her room.

“DAD! YOU’RE STILL STREAMING! ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS!”

They shot their eyes wide open and scrambled up to see Levi character dead on the screen and the video capture was still on.

“BE GLAD THAT THE STREAM CRASHED!”

Levi groaned as he went on his laptop and tried to do damage control of the situation, but couldn’t help but smirk when Eren started chuckling and hugging him from behind. “Thanks, Mikasa!” He called back.

“ANYTIME! ALSO, I WON $20 FROM THE BET AGAINST AUNT ISABEL AND UNCLE ERWIN!”

Eren’s chuckles evolved to stomach-clutching laughter and Levi sighed, debating whether or not to be proud of Mikasa or ground her instead for placing bets on his love life.

Looking down at the two red roses, he decided that Mikasa should treat them to ice cream for a celebration as he turned to kiss Eren’s smiling face.

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shoutout to thesadisticsiren for providing the viewer’s comments! xD
> 
> (Also, if all goes to plan, I think I have about 10 more chapters until the end of COMH... o3o)
> 
> (Also, also shameless plug: if you’re into fem!ereri in canonverse with smut, I wrote one [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5844319)! ;D)


	49. Just Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were said and love prevails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some feels along the way, but make sure to give plenty of love for these lovely readers and their lovely artwork!
> 
> ♥ Prepare your heart for boyybites‘s [soft and gorgeous Eren](http://boyybites.tumblr.com/post/138455262495/fanart-for-cocoachouxs-fic-click-on-my-heart-i)!  
> ♥ A [gif of the Queen's smile](http://thegayestcat.tumblr.com/post/138377862638/cocoachoux-i-was-bored-and-fooling-around-on)?! Thank you so much thegayestcat for this beauty in motion!  
> ♥ And bloodredphantom is back with this precious [winter child](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/138554364133/another-drawing-of-mikasa-since-i-just-realized)! ♡

“Why am I doing this again?”

“Aw, c’mon Corporal, it’s our last day here and we thought this would be fun!”

Levi shot the shorter male a pointed look. “Your idea of fun is contorting your body in weird positions with your friends?”

“Yup,” Connie replied, making a ‘pop’ sound at the end.

At Levi’s unamused look, Eren laughed as he nudged the man with his hips. “It’ll be fine, Levi. And it’ll be good fun before we see them off.”

The gamer sighed as he leaned against him, watching the Eren’s friends setting up the camera and getting the images loaded up. It has been a month since Eren’s friends visited, but today was their last day together before they pack up to go back home. “I guess. At least I get to see you bend.” He laughed as he felt a slap to his arm and looking up to his pouting boyfriend. “What? Can’t a guy appreciate his boyfriend’s body?”

Eren shyly looked away, mumbling under his breath. Levi’s offhand comments calling Eren his boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner always made the brunet happy in the simplest way. While he knew what Levi’s feeling were to him – _‘Love,’_ Eren thought with a grin – it was always nice to hear the man claiming Eren as his because that was what it was: Eren was Levi’s and Levi was Eren’s.

The group was finally set up to do the video recording and got into position. Eren started the introduction of the yoga challenge they were going to do before uploading the first image the group found on Pinterest.

“Okay, we’re starting off easy,” Eren called as he sat onto the yoga mat.

“Easy for whom? If you haven’t noticed, besides freckled Jesus and his horse over there, some of us have short partners,” Ymir commented, ignoring Historia’s pinch to her side, as she sat down.

Jean laughed as he got into position with Marco and they did the pose successfully. “Not my problem I chose someone not so vertically challenged.”

Levi not-so-discreetly kicked him on the side, making Jean let go of his grip on Marco as he toppled over, before planting his feet with Eren’s, trying his best to reach for his hands, but not being able to. Eren laughed as he reached forward to poke the back of Levi’s calves before letting his legs drop. “Let’s do another pose, yeah?” The group agreed and laid flat on their mats as Eren pulled up another picture.

For the next hour, they went through a series of different poses. Some they were all able to do successfully, and some, not so much. Levi smirked when he thought back about how only he and Eren were the only ones to do one of the more difficult poses, where Levi was on his back and his legs were straight up and Eren planking on top as they held hands. The look Eren gave him as he looked down was filled with trust and Levi felt he was the luckiest man in the world.

Though, Levi would admit his favorite poses were the ones where Eren had to bend down or the ones where Eren had to straddle him. He could probably say he wasn’t alone in his thoughts with the others in the rooms and their respective partner.

There was a sound from the staircase, but Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by a groan.

“Ugh, I never realized how sweaty yoga can be.” Jean wiped his body off with a towel before tossing it to Eren.

“That’s nasty, Jean. Go back to the hotel and wash off before dinner,” Eren said as he started to walk out of the room with the towels he collected. “I’ll be back!” he said more to Levi than anyone else.

Levi nodded as he started to clean up the living room area before he heard a cough behind him. Turning around, he saw the group lined up and giving him a smile. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What?”

“Thank you for taking care of Eren,” Marco said. “He seems really happy here.”

Sasha nodded. “Yeah! Like, he was always happy-go-lucky back home, but he pretty much _glows_ when he’s around you.”

Levi bit his lips and looked down, unsure of how to respond to their smiling faces. Historia stepped forward and waited until Levi looked at her before grinning. “We’re glad that it’s you who’s making Eren smile. He had a life back home, but he has a new life here with you and your daughter and he’s really, really happy. But…” Her smile was gone as she grabbed the front of his shirt, surprising Levi from the strong grip coming from the small girl as he was yanked down to her eyelevel. She gave him a cold look that made him shudder as she continued. “You hurt Eren in any way and we **will** fly our asses back here and beat the shit out of you, got it?” she hissed lowly. Letting him go, she smiled sweetly before returning back to her friends.

Ymir wiped a fake tear and started clapping. “That’s my girl,” she said, holding her arms open for Historia and giving her a hug. The group chuckled as they saw what went down and Levi was frozen in place, wondering what just happened.

Eren chose right then to come back, looking confused as he saw Levi’s shocked face and his friends laughing. He looked between them and marched over to Levi, holding his man close to him. “Are you guys bullying him?”

“Nooo,” they chorused.

Eren rolled his eyes as he made a shooing motion at them. “Go back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow. We’ll meet up for dinner later, okay?”

“As you wish, my King.” Connie dramatically bowed and followed everyone out of the house.

Once the couple heard the door shut, Levi sighed as he leaned into Eren. “You have protective friends.”

Eren laughed as he nuzzled Levi’s hair. “I do. And I’m sure your friends are just as protective. Hell, Mikasa would probably bite me if I did something to you.”

Levi hummed as he placed his hands on top of Eren’s. “Maybe. Though I’m sure her loyalty is with you now.”

“You bet it is.”

The two jumped at the new voice and looked over to see Mikasa sitting on the couch and looking at them expectantly. “You guys are so lovey-dovey,” she commented, looking down as she played with a loose string on her shirt.

Levi scrunched his brows when he noticed her strained voice. She would normally tease them when they display their affections to each other, but there was none of that this time. Getting out of Eren’s embrace he kneeled in front of her. “What’s wrong, Mikasa?”

“Nothing,” was her curt reply.

“It’s never ‘nothing,’ Mikasa. Please, tell me what’s on your mind,” Levi said in a low voice as he held her hands with his.

She looked down. “It’s stupid,” she muttered.

Eren said beside her and rubbed her back. “It can’t be stupid if it’s from you.”

Mikasa blinked several times, letting go of her dad’s grip as she held her knees close to her. “Well, um, lately I’ve noticed that you two are always together a lot. Like, all the time a lot. And I- I’ve been feeling a little, um…”

“And you’ve been feeling lonely,” Levi whispered, realizing what she was trying to tell them.

She nodded, still not looking at them. “I told you it was stupid. I know that we still do stuff together and make videos, but- I don’t know,” she ended off with a frustrated huff, most likely directed at herself than anyone in the room.

Eren and Levi looked at each other and gave a look of understanding before they wrapped their arms around her. “We’re sorry, Mikasa,” Eren started. “We didn’t mean to neglect you.”

When Mikasa was about to protest that no, they haven’t been exactly neglecting her, but Levi held her tighter and cut off what she was about to say. “Mikasa, it’s okay to tell us these things. Communication is a two-way street, and we’re proud that you let us know how you feel.” The two let go of her and soften their gaze at her teary eyes. Levi kissed her cheeks and Eren kissed the top of her head. “Even though Eren and I love each other, that doesn’t mean we don’t love you. It’s a different love, but it’s just as strong.”

The girl rubbed her eyes as she nodded. “Okay…”

“Good.” Levi bopped her nose as he stood up. “Are you hungry? We could make a light snack before dinner tonight.”

“Mhm, no.” Mikasa shook her head. “Can we play _Just Dance_ though? It seemed like you guys were having fun doing yoga, but no cameras. Just us playing for fun.”

“Of course we can!” Eren agreed. “I’ll go set it up,” he said as he got up from the couch.

“Thanks, _Anne_.”

Eren abruptly stopped at looked at her with wide eyes. “Mikasa… Did you just call me ‘Mom’ in Turkish?”

Mikasa wrung the hem of her shirt (Levi will have to iron it later) as she blushed. “Oh- uhm, yeah? Shit, I’m sorry. Shoot!” She clapped her hand over her mouth and a muffled “sorry!” was heard.

Levi didn’t even scold her for using a swear word. Instead, he watched Eren look at Mikasa with adoring eyes as he picked her up. “Mikasa,” Eren coaxed her in his soothing voice. “Hey, it’s okay. I- I don’t mind. Where did you hear that from anyway?”

The young Ackerman dropped her hand from her mouth and held onto Eren for support. “I heard you call your mom that sometimes when you Skype with her.” She rested her head onto Eren’s shoulder. “Is it okay if I call you that? Dad said that you two love me differently, and I love Eren the same way I love Dad; it’s different from how I feel from Hange, Aunt Isabel, Uncle Farlan, Uncle Erwin, and Uncle Mike, but it’s still love. I think? I don’t know.”

Eren shushed her and swayed back and forth and brushed her hair. He noticed that while she was getting heavier, she was still a child in his eyes – a healthy, growing child that’s trying to mature too fast but still has lots of things to learn. “It’s alright, Mikasa. I don’t mind if you call me _Anne_. I’m actually really honored and happy if you call me that.”

“But, you and Dad aren’t married yet.”

 _Yet._ It was a word that Eren and Levi clung onto but buried it for later to think about – it was not the right time for it.

Levi cleared his throat as he approached them and brushed away the strands of hair covering her face. “Mikasa, Eren doesn’t need to be married to me for you to call him that. You just mentioned Izzy and the rest of the gang, but they’re not related by blood to us, right? But would you still call them your aunt and uncles?” At her nod he smiled. “And we’re not technically father and daughter, but you’ll still call me Dad, right?”

“Of course!” She looked indignant at the thought of not calling Levi her dad anymore. “Dad is Dad,” she stated.

“And Eren could be _Anne_ ,” Levi countered.

“Only if you want to,” Eren interjected, trying to reassure Mikasa. “No pressure, okay? Just go at your own pace and what you’re comfortable with. Does that sound fair?”

Mikasa nodded again but then scrunched her brows, mimicking what Levi did earlier and Eren almost laughed at how similar they were. “But, you’re a boy today, right? Don’t I call you ‘papa’ or something?”

Eren grinned as he repositioned her for better support. He looked into her innocent eyes and said, “I will let you know if I’m not comfortable being called _Anne_ or Papa or whatever, but Mikasa, the title of being called a mother is a great privilege so I don’t mind. Besides-” He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Moms are better than dads, aren’t they?”

“Hey, I heard that,” Levi growled as he poked Eren’s side.

Both Eren and Mikasa laughed and Levi couldn’t help but smile as well. The two people who were most important to him were happy. His daughter saw Eren as a mother figure – a person who would love, teach, and protect Mikasa and watch her grow. A title Eren deserved and one that brought their family closer together.

Eren put her down and wiped his hands on his shorts. “Ah, sorry. I forgot that I’m still a bit sweaty from the yoga challenge.”

Mikasa shrugged. “That’s okay; I’m going to get all sweaty from dancing anyway. I’ll take a shower later.”

“We all need a shower,” Levi said, finally noticing that he was still in his tank top and yoga pants (Eren bought him hot pink ones for the challenge). “I’m going to go get us some drinks while you two set up.”

“Okay,” they said as they started to set up the game console.

He was about to leave the room but paused just at the entryway as he listened in on their conversation.

“Which _Just Dance_ game should we play, _çiçeğim_?”

“What does _'çiçeğim'_ mean?”

“It means ‘my flower’ in Turkish. My mom calls me that sometimes on my girl days. Do you not like it?”

“I like it. It sounds really nice.”

Levi heard Eren chuckle. “I’m glad to hear that, _çiçeğim_.”

“Of course, _Anne_.”

There was more laughter and Levi smiled as he left the room to the kitchen to get some water and juice like he was supposed to. On his way, he was thinking about fun activities that he and Eren could do with Mikasa but stopped when he saw a big red circle on the magnetic calendar stuck on the fridge.

Ah, right. They were going to Disneyland next week.

Thinking that it would be a great chance to spend quality time together, he flipped to the next month to see what events would take place in August and he frowned when he saw the other date that was circled.

He sighed as he shook his head. Now was not the time.

He opened the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of water and carton of juice and prepared the drinks before closing the fridge door shut, the papers of the calendar moving slightly from the force.

Taking the tray with their glasses, Levi went back to the living room where he heard the title screen soundtrack of Just Dance 3.

Placing down the drinks and grabbing the remote from Eren, he looked at Mikasa and his mind went back to the date on the calendar.

Guess he needed to call up his maman soon.

Shaking his head, he decided to worry about it later.

But for now, he had to work his body to achieve those stars.


	50. Disney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some cute family adventure time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH!!!! COMH hit 2.5k kudos! (●´□`)♡ Thank you so so much for the love and support! But do you know what’s better? This week’s fanart!
> 
> ♥ Take a good look at this [stunning Eren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/138841258372/heres-a-pen-drawing-of-eren-looking-at-flowers) that bloodredphantom did!  
> ♥ And hi-im-pandaa graced us with our Queen in this [cute outfit](http://hi-im-pandaa.tumblr.com/post/138880479773/click-on-my-heart-is-currently-my-fav-ereririren)!

Eren blinked his eyes open as he woke up to the sound of the alarm coming from his phone. Getting up, he yawned as he reached over to the nightstand and tapped the screen to stop the loud ringing. He rubbed their eyes and flopped on the bed with a little bounce and latched onto the pile of blankets next to him.

“Mhm, what time is it?” the lump of blankets asked.

“Five in the morning,” Eren replied as he cuddled closer.

“It’s too damn early.” The pile of blankets shifted and Eren grinned as he closed his eyes. There was silence between the two for about a minute until Eren grabbed the blankets and pulled them off in a swift motion.

“You’re a jerk,” Levi complained, curling into a ball to retain some warmth.

Eren grinned as he nuzzled into Levi’s side, prompting the man to lay flat, arm covering his eyes. The beauty guru sat up and looked down at his boyfriend with a soft look. Levi was not a morning person, but he tended to be sillier when he wasn’t fully awake. Eren’s eyes traced the tattoos on Levi’s arms before moving down to the exposed stomach since Levi usually slept without a shirt, making it a perfect opportunity for Eren. Bending down, Eren placed little kisses around the navel and all over Levi’s abs.

Levi groaned as he removed his arm and lazily looked down to see Eren blowing a raspberry on his stomach. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

The raven slowly sat up, making Eren do the same. Levi blinked a few times before looking at Eren’s amused green and gold eyes. “Stop being so cute in the morning,” he mumbled as he rubbed his own eyes.

Eren laughed as he leaned forward to nuzzle his nose with Levi’s. “You’ll have to stop being adorable first,” he reasoned as he got off the bed.

Levi glared half-heartedly. “No, you’re the one who’s adorable.”

“No, you.”

“No, you.”

“It’s you and that’s final,” Eren said as he gave Levi a chaste kiss. “Go take a shower; I’ll have breakfast ready soon.”

Levi fell back onto the bed with a huff. A feeling of fondness consumed him as he watched Eren head to the door. “Love you.”

“Love you too, papa bear. Now go get ready before waking up Mikasa,” Eren said as he left the room.

Levi watched Eren leave and he sighed before getting back up again. “God, we’re so sappy,” he mumbled to himself before walking to the bathroom with a smile.

Once Levi finished his shower, he went to Mikasa’s room and knocked once before slowly opening the door. He saw a lump of blankets on the bed and he almost snorted how much his daughter was like him. Quietly walking over, her sat on the edge of her bed and gently shook her. “Hey, kiddo, time to get up.”

Mikasa groaned, but blinked her eyes open to see her dad. “Morning,” she grumbled as she sat up.

“Morning, Mikasa. Did you sleep well?”

She yawned but nodded in reply. Levi chuckled as he tried to flatten her bed hair down. “Eren’s making breakfast for our big day today.”

Any sleepiness Mikasa had in her was gone in an instant as she quickly got out of the bed and ran across her room. “We’re going to Disneyland!”

Levi shook his head in amusement as he watched her leave the room, not scolding her this time for not making her bed. He got up and quickly made the bed for her before making his way down to the kitchen to see Mikasa hugging Eren’s waist.

“Mikasa,” Eren chuckled. “I can’t finish breakfast if you’re holding me.”

The little Ackerman pouted but held onto Eren tighter.

The brunet sighed and looked over to see Levi at the entryway. “Helping your boyfriend out of your child’s arms would be nice.”

Levi made his way over but instead of picking Mikasa up like Eren expected him to do, he felt arms around his chest as he was pulled into Levi’s hold, sandwiched between the two ravens. “Well, looks like everyone is in a playful mood this morning,” Eren commented with a grin.

Mikasa giggled and Levi chuckled as he reached down to ruffle the girl’s long locks. “Today’s going to be a good day,” Levi said as he pressed butterfly kisses up Eren’s neck and patting his butt before letting go. “Come on, Mikasa, let’s set the table.”

Eren went back to making the pancakes, pouring the batter before dropping a few chocolate chips (Levi’s sweet tooth doesn’t care for time) on top and then flipping it over. He repeated the process a few times until he finished the rest of the batter and left the dishes for Levi to do later.

The three ate their pancakes as fast as they could. The two adults teased Mikasa for her chipmunk-like cheeks when she tried to stuff the pancakes so she could scarf it down quickly. The faster they finish eating, the faster they could leave, she reasoned.

After finishing their breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, Eren and Mikasa went upstairs to get ready and Levi double checked if they had everything for their little vacation. Even though Disneyland was about an hour away from their house, Levi figured it would be more convenient if they stayed there so they had more time instead of worrying about traffic. Which was fine since Eren and Mikasa didn’t mind it whatsoever; in fact, Eren would go to Mikasa’s room for the past few nights to talk to her about the cool and fun stuff they would do when they get there.

Levi wasn’t sure who was more excited, Eren or Mikasa. Thinking about it, Levi wanted to smack himself for not taking Mikasa to Disneyland sooner. Well, at least she would experience the world of magic with Eren by her side, her dad too of course.

The gamer was on his phone to check for any notifications when he something fly onto his face. He grabbed the object and took a look at it before giving the offenders a disgruntled look. “Are you serious?”

“Please?” they both asked, pouting and giving him wide eyes and – fucking hell, he _has_ to now, right?

Levi looked up to the ceiling and let out a loud sigh but that was enough for Eren and Mikasa as they high-fived each other in victory. The shorter man grumbled as he took off the black shirt he was wearing and flung it to Mikasa, who let out an indignant noise, and pulled the white material over his head.

Eren laughed when he saw the unamused face that poked through and walked over to his boyfriend, giving a kiss to his temple. “Told you that you were adorable.”

Levi scrunched his nose at the comment before looking down at his [shirt](http://cheapskateprincess.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/matching-shirts-for-a-Disney-vacation.png). It was the familiar silhouette of the three black circles joined together to make the iconic shape. Eren and Mikasa had the same shirt too, except that while his had the red and yellow pants Mickey wore, Mikasa’s had a red polka dot bow and dress for Minnie, and Eren had a mix of both – Minnie’s bow and Mickey’s pants. “I can’t believe you got us matching shirts.”

The brunet kissed his nose. “We’re a _family_ , aren’t we?”

Levi lightly whacked Eren’s chest for using that special word that makes his heart flutter. “That’s not fair, Eren. At least you didn’t put ‘Daddy,’ or ‘Mommy’ on these shirts.”

“Just making it as general but matching as possible.” Eren shrugged. “Besides, I wasn’t sure what gender I would be for this day so I left it open.”

“Hm.”

“Can we go now?” Mikasa asked impatiently, waiting for the two to finish their moment. As much as she loved them, she wanted to go now.

The two YouTubers chuckled at her impatience. “Everything’s packed and in the car and ready to go,” Levi said. He grabbed his leather jacket and walked over to her and poked one of the buns on her head. “Cute.” Mikasa’s hair was done in two buns and there was a pink bow on her head, courtesy of Eren.

“Less compliments and more moving, let’s go!”

Eren laughed as Mikasa grabbed her dad’s hand and literally dragged him out of the house. Shaking his head in amusement, he followed them, closing the door and locking the house.

The next few days together would be interesting.

* * *

“Bumper butt.”

Levi’s eye twitched as he watched his boyfriend and daughter across from him giggle.

“Bumper butt,” Mikasa repeated in a whisper and Eren covered his mouth with his hand to contain his laughter.

“Oh, ha ha,” Levi sarcastically said, making the two laugh again.

Once the family made it to the resort, they checked-in to their hotel and left their bags at the front desk and soon after, Levi was immediately dragged all over the area. It was amusing to see his loved ones so energetic, but after dragging him ride after ride, he was getting exhausted and it wasn’t even noon yet.

They just finished going on _Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies_ , and Eren and Mikasa decided to team up to take down Levi. Levi wasn’t fond of going on a car that looked like a deranged bug, much less being repeatedly slammed into by another deranged bug car that held his family. There was no winning or losing when it came to bumper cars, but Levi was pretty damn sure that he lost since he now gained the title of ‘Bumper Butt,’ thanks to Eren and Mikasa.

Eren finally stopped laughing and reached over to place his hand over Levi’s. “Sorry, love. We were just having fun, weren’t we, çiçeğim?” Mikasa hummed in agreement and Eren sheepishly smiled at Levi. “We’ll let you pick the next one.”

“Hm, the _Twilight Zone Tower of Terror_ seemed interesting to me,” Levi idly mentioned, smirking when he saw their pale faces. “What?”

“You’re mean,” Mikasa pouted.

“I like dropping rides, but that one seems a bit too… intense for me,” Eren said slowly.

“Oh? I didn’t realize you two backed out on a challenge.” Levi’s smirk grew wider when their skeptical looks turned into determined expressions. “Ah, that’s more like it.”

“Come on, let’s go then,” Eren said as he and Mikasa got out of their chairs. They each grabbed Levi’s arm and he clumsily followed them towards the tower. “Hey, slow down, we still have the whole day.”

“Nope! There’s so much to see and so much to do!”

“Yeah, and you’re stuck with us, Dad. There’s no escape,” Mikasa said, tightening her grip as a warning.

Eren laughed as he started skipping. “Yup! And I want to get more of the Dole soft serve and I need to get those mouse ear caps for all of us too; we’re going to look so cute together.”

Eren and Mikasa laughed at Levi’s exasperated groan as they weaved through the crowd of people.

If it was a challenge from Levi, they would happily accept it.

* * *

“Mikasa, I think you should stop jumping on the bed and let your dad rest his old bones,” Eren said as he walked into the room from his shower.

Levi was too tired to even make a remark as Mikasa stopped jumping and leapt off from the bed and onto hers with a flip.

Eren let out a whistle. “Impressive, but dangerous. Be careful you don’t hurt yourself, okay?”

“Okayyy,” she said as she hopped off her bed and went to the bathroom.

The brunet watched the door close before going over to his and Levi’s bed and sat right next to the older man and brushed his hair. “How are you holding up?”

Levi groaned as he rolled over so that his back was on the bed. “Exhausted. I can’t believe we’re going to be here for the next week. I’m going to die, Eren.”

Eren chuckled and leaned down to kiss Levi’s cheek. “You’re fine.” Tracing Levi’s face with his fingertips, Eren added, “I’ve never seen Mikasa laugh so much.”

Levi sat up and looked into Eren’s mismatched eyes. “Same here. I’m glad she’s having fun, even if I may need a new set of legs by the end of all of this.”

The beauty guru smiled but didn’t say anything as he got off the bed and walked over to the window. Their room had a beautiful view of the shopping district with its glowing lights. It was an amazing first day and Eren smiled as he thought back to the shrieks that not only Mikasa let out, but Levi as well as they went down the drop tower and rollercoasters; the stomach aches they got from eating too much, and Levi cussing up a storm for the long wait times, even when they had the FastTrack passes. All the smiles, laughter, and teasing made Eren overjoyed and he wondered what new memories tomorrow will bring.

He was startled out of his thoughts when two arms wrapped around him. “Did you have a good day?” Levi whispered, resting his head on Eren’s shoulder.

Eren smiled as he placed his hands over Levi’s. “The best. Thank you for such an awesome birthday gift and an amazing day. You’re incredible.” Eren turned his head to give Levi a slow, meaningful kiss.

Levi traced Eren’s lips with his tongue before parting and licked his own lips. “Anytime, sugar lips. I’m happy that you’re happy.”

Eren smiled as he kissed Levi again and the two stayed like that, kissing each other in front of the windows until Mikasa came back, teasing them for being so lovey-dovey before burying herself under the covers.

Taking that as their cue to head to bed as well, Eren closed the curtains and Levi turned off the lights before getting in their own bed, telling each other good night.

“Are we dressing up tomorrow?” Mikasa sleepily asked.

“You bet,” Eren replied, snuggling closer to Levi.

“What are you two planning to dress up as?” the man asked.

“Maybe one of the Disney princesses? I’ll have to be careful though since they don’t really let adults dress up.”

“Lame,” Mikasa said.

“Agreed,” Levi said, rubbing circles on Eren’s arm. “I’m sure you’ll find something nice to wear.”

“Eren should do Belle so that Gaston could flirt with him,” Mikasa suggested.

“Gaston better back the fuck up then.”

Eren laughed as he pressed kisses on the top of Levi’s head. “I would love to see you challenge Gaston in a push up contest.”

“Dad would win, hands down.”

“Damn right I would.”

The three of them laughed. “Alright, we need to sleep now. Tomorrow’s a brand new day for more fun,” Eren said.

Mikasa yawned. “Okay, Anne. Good night.”

Eren smiled; he loved hearing that title. “Good night, loves.”

“Good night,” Levi mumbled, holding Eren closer.

Eren sighed happily as he felt his body relax, dreaming of the next adventure he would have with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, make sure to check my [tumblr](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/) tomorrow for some more updates! :D


	51. Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stay determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _ **Note:**_ There are some Undertale spoilers in case you haven’t played it yet! 
> 
> Lots of writing was done this week but alas, classes start again. OTL To lift up the winter blues, check out this week’s amazing fanart! :D
> 
> ♥ Which one do you prefer? [The Queen or King](http://redfairyart.tumblr.com/post/139458264774/i-felt-like-drawing-comh-eren-since-i-havent) done by redfairyart? (Hint: the answer is always both! ;D)  
> ♥ cloudflowerandherkami‘s [smol Mikasa](http://cloudflowerandherkami.tumblr.com/post/139555005171/cocoachoux-but-you-and-dad-arent-married-yet) is here to cleanse your soul! (She’s too cute!)  
> ♥ And ready to see a [super-adorable Eren](http://l-sengrade.tumblr.com/post/139617173803/little-fanart-of-pastel-eren-from-the-fanfiction)? Because l-sengrade has just the cuteness for ya! ^^

_Ring ring ring ring ri-_

“Whaaaaat?” Farlan groaned at the caller, flinching from the bright screen. Squinting his eyes, he saw that it was three in the morning and read the name of the person who was calling him. “Levi? What the fuck? Why’re calling so late?”

“Far, I have a problem,” was the hushed response.

The sandy-haired man let out another groan as he slipped out of the bed. Isabel, who was sleeping next to him, snorted from the noise but otherwise didn’t wake up. Farlan quietly left the room and blindly made his way to the kitchen to get some water. “So, what’s the problem? I thought you were still at Disneyland with Eren and Mikasa.”

“We are,” Levi whispered. “It’s our last night here and we’ll be back home in the evening.”

Farlan shut his eyes momentarily when he turned on the kitchen lights and made his way to the sink and grabbed a glass. “How was it? Did you guys have fun?”

“By fun, you mean almost being kicked out of the park for threatening the actor who’s playing Gaston for flirting with Eren, then yeah, we’re having tons of fun.”

“Did you really?”

“Eren had a wig on and dressed similarly to Belle from the beginning of the movie yesterday and the inflated asshole came out of nowhere and started flirting with them.”

Farlan rolled his eyes as he moved to the living room and sat on the couch and got comfortable. “Levi, you do know that it’s his job to be in-character, right?”

“He didn’t have to get so handsy with Eren,” Levi grumbled. “He was invading Eren’s personal space and held them close to him.”

Farlan raised a brow at that but let Levi continue. “I got pissed and tried to take Eren away, but the guy pulled them away and started mocking me.”

“Oh shit.”

“Oh shit is right. I got pissed and challenged him to a push-up contest and whoever won gets Eren. The idiot agreed but I won of course.”

“What are you, five?”

“31, you ass. Anyway, I told Gaston to fuck off and carried Eren away.”

“Like a princess?”

“More like carrying them on my shoulder, but that’s beside the point. A park employee came up to us later and told me that I wasn’t allowed to swear so loudly nor degrade the actors or else we would have to leave.”

Farlan chuckled. “Wish I could’ve been there to see it.”

There was a sigh on the other side. “You will; Mikasa caught the whole thing on camera and gave the video to Eren so they could upload it onto their King channel.”

“Nice, can’t wait to see it.” Farlan took a sip of his water and asked, “So, what’s the problem you called me for?”

There was a moment of silence and even though Farlan wasn’t able to see Levi, he was sure the raven man was fidgeting. “Hey, Far? Can I ask you when you started to realize that Isabel was the one for you?”

Farlan sat up straighter at that. He glanced down to the hallway that led to his and Isabel’s room. The redhead was most likely snoring at this moment and just the thought of Isabel making mumbling sounds as she slept made him smile. “I’m not exactly sure, Lee. It was a gradual thing since we’ve known each other since we were kids. I guess one day I thought about a day without seeing Isabel’s smile and when I felt the pain in my chest, that’s when I knew I wanted to be with her forever.”

There was more silence between them, but Farlan had a feeling he knew what it was about so he continued waiting until Levi spoke up again. “I woke up a while ago and Eren was sleeping right next to me.”

Farlan heard shuffling movements as Levi continued, “And I was just admiring the way they looked under the moonlight – Eren is just so beautiful and perfect – and then I thought about how much I wanted to wake up and see them right beside me every day and then I panicked.”

“You love them,” Farlan said in a resolute voice.

He heard a sniffle and he assumed that Levi nodded his head in agreement to his statement. “I love Eren; so much that it sometimes hurts but it’s a good kind of hurt and-” a sharp inhale, “I’m scared, Farlan. I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t know what to do.”

Farlan let out a sigh as he slouched onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling. “Have you tried telling Eren this?”

“We both confessed that we love each other, but I don’t want to scare them away with these intense feelings.”

“Levi,” Farlan said in a stern voice. “Don’t underestimate Eren’s feelings for you.”

“But-”

“And don’t underestimate yourself either,” Farlan added. “Anyone can see that you two love each other very much and that you guys have a strong and trusting relationship. Believe in Eren and talk to them.”

More silence filled the air. Farlan was tempted to close his eyes and sleep but Levi’s sigh deterred him from his plan.

“I… I guess I’ll talk to them soon about our future together.”

Farlan softly smiled at the sound of Levi’s insecurity. “Good,” he yawned.

“Thanks for listening, Far, sorry to keep you up.”

“It’s fine,” he waved off. “Izzy’s snores would’ve done the same thing.”

He heard a snort followed by a chuckle. “Same ol’ Izzy. Thanks again and good night.”

“Night, Levi. Good luck, alright?”

“Yeah. You better not tell Isabel about this.”

“No promises.”

“Fuck.”

Farlan smirked when he heard his friend hang up. Getting up from the couch, he took the glass and left it in the sink before walking down the hallway to the bedroom.

He almost screamed when he saw a shadow of a figure in front of the door, but upon a closer look, he saw that it was Isabel wrapped in blankets on the floor. Bending down, he shook her. “Hey, Iz, wake up.”

Isabel yawned but didn’t open her eyes, nuzzling into the blankets she was being covered with. “Nn, don’t wanna. You. Gone. Bed. Carry. Sleep,” were what she managed to say before letting out another yawn.

Farlan rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around the blankets and lifted Isabel up, going into their bedroom and gently placing her on the bed before moving in next to her.

He laid close to her and stroked her side as he watched her sleep with a smile. Farlan leaned forward and gave a kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes and going to sleep, hoping that Levi would have the same experience that he had right now in the near future.

* * *

 Levi stared at his phone once his call with Farlan ended. Thinking about the words his friend said, he let out a shaky breath before taking out his keycard and opening the door to the room. He quietly walked over to his and Eren’s bed trying not to wake Mikasa who was sleeping in the bed next to them, and stood next to the bedside closest to Eren. He knelt down and brushed their hair, smiling when they made a little sound from the touch.

He felt the familiar pang in his chest as he watched Eren’s peaceful face, realizing that he would never tire from seeing it. He kissed the corner of Eren’s lips while he took Eren’s left hand with his.

“Believe in you, huh?” he whispered to himself.

He brought the hand to his lips and kissed the finger where a ring would go.

“Please wait for me,” he mumbled before placing back where the hand was and letting go.

He got up and went over to his side of the bed and curled in next to Eren, pulling the brunet to his chest as he buried his face in the nape of their neck and inhaled their scent.

 _‘Just a little longer,’_ he thought as he closed his eyes, listening to the sound of Eren’s breathing.

* * *

“Hello legionnaires, HueManateesStrongest here along with Eren and Mikasa and we’re going to be playing _Undertale_. Finally, I know, so you can all stop spamming the comment section for this.”

“Levi,” Eren hissed.

“Don’t worry Eren, Dad’s always like this,” Mikasa said.

Levi ignored her comment as he continued with the introduction. “Before we get started, Eren is recording this as a girl so use she/her proper pronouns, alright?”

Eren gave him a smile and he returned the look.

“Stop giving each other lovey looks and let’s play already,” Mikasa teased.

Levi rolled his eyes as he looked back to the screen. “Thanks for ruining your dad’s game, sweetheart.” Eren laughed as she gave him a reassuring pat. “Anyways, let’s get started.”

The three watched the introduction story and decided to name the fallen child ‘Hange’ since Levi reasoned that only Hange would explore a mysterious mountain and fall down a pit to the underground.

“Flowey, that’s a cute name,” Eren commented.

“Little white… “friendliness pellets.” What kind of ‘friendliness pellets’ are we talking about here?” Levi furrowed his brows but still decided to catch them and then his jaw dropped when he got damage and the flower’s face changed. “What the?”

“Flowey’s telling you to die, Dad.”

Levi’s lips pressed into a hard line. “Fuck the flower; I’m going to kill it.”

Thankfully Levi didn’t have to as another character appeared. “Toriel seems nice,” Eren said.

Levi continued playing and he frowned when he had to go into a fight with Toriel.

“Oh no, please don’t kill goat mom, Dad,” Mikasa pleaded. “She’s really nice!”

Once Levi spared her enough, he left the ruins and encountered the flower again and scowled at its dialogue. “Screw you Flowey, I’m not going to kill anyone but I’m going to rip your petals one by one.”

They continued playing and adding commentary here and there as the story progressed.

“Sans, as in comic sans?” Eren asked.

Levi looked as if he was a few seconds away from throwing his keyboard at the screen from the amount of puns between the skeleton brothers, even though he secretly liked them.

“Go flirt with fabulous skeleton, you have my permission, babe.”

Levi chuckled along with Eren and Mikasa’s laughter as he continued with his ‘date’ with Papyrus. “This is so stupid,” he mumbled with a grin.

The gamer’s jaw dropped again when he saw the annoying dog absorb the artifact. “THE DOG STOLE THE ARTIFACT. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?”

“Levi, you need to flee! Undyne’s is going to kill you at this rate!”

“Fuckfuckfuck- run you tiny child!”

Mikasa poked Levi on the side. “Dad, Dr. Alphys is telling you the answers!”

Eren howled with laughter when she saw Tsunderplane. “I love this game!”

“What the-” was the collective response from the three when they saw Mettaton EX before the girls started laughing at its new body.

“Oh no, the King seems nice too,” Mikasa said sadly when Alphys told them that Asgore had to be killed in order to cross through the barrier.

“Oh fuck! I actually have to fight him? I can weaken him and he won’t die, right?” Levi continued cussing as he tried to avoid Asgore’s attacks.

Once the king was weak enough, Levi showed him mercy but then the white pellets appeared around him. “NO!” Eren and Mikasa cried out when Flowey killed the king.

Mikasa whimpered as Flowey’s face distorted. “I don’t wanna be called çiçeğim anymore, Eren.” The brunette rubbed soothing circles as Flowey continued its villainous dialogue.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!” Levi exclaimed as he tried to make sense of the new enemy.

Mikasa and Eren cheered on for Levi as he continued evading more attacks, eventually managing to win the battle in the end.

“Ugh, I _have_ to give mercy, don’t I?” Levi continued giving mercy on the evil flower until it ran away and telling him that there was a better ending.

“Oh, we forgot to go to Undyne’s house,” Mikasa mentioned.

“This is just strengthening my love for Papyrus,” Eren said as the skeleton threw himself out of the window.

Mikasa tilted her head. “Wait, doesn’t Dr. Alphys like Undyne? And Undyne likes her too…”

“I love her dress,” Eren giggled when Alphys got dressed for their date. “She’s adorable.”

Levi let out a bark of laughter when Undyne threw Alphys up in the air. “Okay, Undyne is my favorite.”

“What is going on?” Mikasa asked as they continued exploring the lab. “Did… did Dr. Alphys create Flowey? Did we forget our memories?”

Levi smacked his head. “Is ‘Asriel’ a combination of Asgore’s and Toriel’s name?” Though he said that, he cursed as he evaded more attacks.

“Yes! You can save everyone!” Eren cheered as Levi saved Papyrus first.

Levi gave a confused look when Asriel told his story. “Wait, I’m not playing as ‘Hange’?”

“Aww,” Mikasa cooed when Frisk hugged Asriel. “That’s cute,” she said, not commenting on the fact that the two adults were rapidly blinking their tears so they wouldn’t fall.

Levi couldn’t help but grin as he went back to talk with the characters. “This is such a great game.” He gasped when he saw the familiar character at the flower bed. “Is that…?” he frowned as he continued Asriel’s dialogue, not realizing that he was tearing up.

“Levi, it’s okay…”

“No, it’s not okay, Eren! “ Levi said as he rubbed his eyes.

“Dad, are you crying?”

“No,” Levi sniffed and took the offered tissue that Eren gave him. “Fuck, I don’t want this to be over.”

The three of them smiled and laughed as they watched the credits – cheering when Undyne kissed Alphys – until the end title screen. They took off their headphones once Levi did the outro and ended the recording. They stretched in their seats and Levi’s eyes widened when he took a look at the time. “Holy shit, we’ve been playing for ten hours straight.”

As if on cue, Mikasa’s tummy growled and she blushed from the loud sound. Eren laughed as she took out her phone. “Pizza?”

The Ackermans nodded and Eren quickly went online and made an order. Pocketing her phone, she went on Levi’s bed and flopped on it. “That was a lot of fun, but I don’t think I want to do any more recording or do any editing today.”

Mikasa climbed onto the bed and crawled towards Eren and laid her head on the beauty guru’s stomach. “I take it back, you can call me çiçeğim again.”

“Will do, çiçeğim,” Eren said as she brushed Mikasa’s hair with her fingertips, smiling when she felt another body join them, cuddling closer to her. “You did great today, love.”

Levi hummed as he kissed the tip of Eren’s nose, propping his head on one hand. “It was a great game. I don’t think I can do the genocide route though; I’m too attached to the characters.”

“No killing,” Mikasa said.

“I won’t,” Levi reassured her.

Eren closed her eyes, feeling very content where she was. “I think I’ll make a butterscotch-cinnamon pie recipe and make a video for it.”

Both Levi and Mikasa sat up at that. “Really?”

Eren opened her eyes to see their enthusiastic looks and laughed. “Of course.” Sitting up straight as well, she got off the bed and said, “In fact, I’ll start rummaging around now to see what I can whip up.”

“I want to come too,” Mikasa said as she got off the bed and followed Eren to the door.

Levi watched the two leave the room with a fond smile. He was about to get up as well but felt something near his hand. Looking down, he saw that it was a flower crown that Eren wore just now, it most likely came off when she was on the bed, and picked it up.

Holding the flowers in his hand, he felt a sense of nostalgia. Almost a year ago was when he first knew about Eren’s existence and watching the DIY flower crown video was when his infatuation with the brunette started.

Not even a full year went by and Levi’s life was flipped upside because of that one click.

Looking at the flowers again, he got an idea and took out his cellphone, scanning through the list of contacts he had and pressed ‘call’ to a number he rarely used.

There were two rings until a familiar voice answered.

“Levi, my boy, so good to hear from you again.”

Levi took a deep breath. “Hello, Kenny. I have a favor to ask you...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, in case you missed it, I did a one-shot of Gaston vs. Levi [over here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/139457011879/captainoftherirenship-cocoachoux). xD


	52. Antique

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you need maman to give you a push.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is really kicking into gear as it hits the halfway point of the semester but rest assured, I’m not going down without a fight to update! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧ Hope you’re doing well m’dears~ And make sure to check out this week’s amazing fanart:
> 
> ♥ bloodredphantom marry me. Seriously. How could I not propose to you with this super [lovely Eren](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/139688154392/another-drawing-of-the-queen-cocoachoux) and this [rose scene](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/139771736767/two-roses-represent-mutual-feelings-especially) from Chapter 48?! ♡(ŐωŐ )  
> ♥And chartreuse-raven is an adorable sweetie for sharing this [cutie patootie Eren](http://chartreuse-raven.tumblr.com/post/139826988830/ok-so-cocoachoux-i-just-want-you-to-know-that)!

“Are we there yet?”

Levi let out an audible sigh and Eren laughed. “Almost, Mikasa. We’re still about five minutes away,” Eren answered for Levi after taking a quick look at the GPS to see where they were.

Mikasa hummed as she looked out the window. “It’s been a year since we’ve been here,” she mentioned in a quiet voice.

Eren briefly looked over to Levi who was transfixed on the road in front of him but his lips were set into a frown. The brunet looked at the rear-view mirror to see Mikasa’s lips formed into a frown as well.

Quickly thinking of something to distract them before they reached their destination, Eren asked, “So, what kinds of fun places are there in San Fransisco, Mikasa?”

“The park!” she exclaimed. Her frown immediately turned upside down as she started to describe the city’s attraction. “The park is really, really big! There are a few lakes in the park and you can even rent boats. Oh! And there’s a _really_ pretty garden and lots of museums in it. You can rent segways to travel around the park too!”

Eren turned around to look at her with an interested look. “Really? When I think of San Fransisco, I think of the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Mikasa stuck out her tongue. “The bridge is pretty and all, but it’s just a bridge. The park has lot more fun things to do. And it’s also near the beach.”

“Sounds like an awesome place for picnics, eh?”

“Picnic **s**? As in plural? You’re going to get us fat, Eren,” Levi commented.

Mikasa giggled. “But Dad, you’re the one who eats the most.”

“And _you’re_ the one with the tiny tummy,” he rebutted.

“You’re ancient; of course your stomach’s bigger.”

“Ow,” Levi said in mock pain. The older Ackerman let go of his right hand off the steering wheel and put it on his chest where his heart was. “You called me ‘ancient.’ That hurt my feelings, sweetheart.” Levi laughed when he saw her roll her eyes from the rear-view mirror before putting his hand back on the wheel.

Eren let out a sigh of relief at the playful banter. The heavy mood in the car lifted just in time for Levi to park in front of the many colorful Victorian row houses.

The three got out of the minivan and Eren grinned from ear to ear when he noticed that the house they were parked in front of was painted in purple. The exterior was well-kept and clean, and Eren was pleased to see a balcony on the upper floor with some plotted plants on the railing. “Wow, your mother’s place is gorgeous.”

Levi snorted beside him with their luggage in his hands. “Wait until you see the mess inside that I had to grow up with.”

Eren gave him an inquisitive look before helping Mikasa with her luggage as they went up the stairs. Levi placed the luggage down before pulling out a key from his pocket, unlocking the door and stepping inside with their bags. Mikasa stepped inside next and Eren followed right after and his eyes widened in surprise.

Considering Levi’s clean (yet punkish) style back in L.A., Eren was expecting a place that was more… modern? Instead, the walls were covered in pictures and paintings, and the desks and tables had little knick-knacks and vases on them. Eren looked down and blinked at the intricate rug pattern that didn’t match up with the wallpaper. In fact, none of the décor matched up with one another as Eren cautiously walked through the entryway and towards what was supposedly the living room. “Wow, this is…”

“A mess? Unorganized? Destruction?” Levi assisted.

“Awesome!” Eren said instead, ignoring how his boyfriend was groaning loudly in the background.

“Oh come on Levi, you should know me by now,” he said as he walked around to take a closer look at the porcelain dolls that were displayed on the shelves. “It’s like a museum.”

“I’m glad to hear that at least someone appreciates my collection.”

The three turned around to see a woman go down the stairs before entering the living room. She smiled as Mikasa bounced happily towards her and knelt down to give the girl a hug. “Mikasa! Mon ange, you’ve grown!”

The girl giggled when the woman pressed kisses on her cheek. “Hello Grand-mère, how are you?”

“Better now that you’re here,” she said before standing up. Her eyes brightened up when she saw Eren and went to give him a hug. “Eren! It’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

Eren smiled as he hugged her back. “It’s great to see you in person too, Kuchel.”

“Oh, you have such a strong grip. What are your pronouns today, dearest?”

“He/him, thank you for asking.”

“Of course,” Kuchel said as she pulled away.

She sidestepped so she could hug Levi and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m so glad that you’re home, Rivaille. You should visit more often, you know.”

Levi returned the gesture before saying, “I know, Maman, but things have been busy this past year.”

Kuchel let go of her hold on her son before pinching his cheek. “I’ll let you get away from it this time, but only because you brought this sweetheart over here,” she said as she gestured to Eren. “Now go unpack. I just cleaned the guestroom and your old bedroom and I restocked the bathrooms. I’ll go get lunch ready while you get settled.”

“Thank you, Maman,” Levi said as he held Eren’s hand with his. “Come, I’ll show you my old room,” he said as he tugged Eren towards the staircase.

“Behave yourselves up there, do you hear me?” Kuchel yelled behind them.

“Maman!”

The woman laughed as she heard the slam of the door and Mikasa giggled alongside her. “Do you want to unpack later and help me with lunch now?” Kuchel asked.

“I would love to, Grand-mère,” Mikasa said as she followed the older Ackerman to the kitchen.

* * *

Eren flopped onto the bed, watching Levi look over the room to see if anything needed to be cleaned. “Levi, chill. I’m sure everything is fine.”

“You didn’t know what I had to grow up with, Eren. Those things you saw downstairs collected so much dust.” At that, Levi visibly shuddered. “Every day after school, I would spend the whole afternoon dusting and cleaning everything. It’s a wonder how I managed to pass school with all the time I spent making sure there weren’t dust bunnies around.”

Eren chuckled as he nestled in between the pillows. “You’re such a cleaning nerd. Come on Levi, I want to cuddle,” he said with grabby hands motion.

That got Levi’s attention since he stopped looking underneath his nightstand and crawled onto the bed into Eren’s opened arms and sighed as he got into a comfortable position.

Eren smiled when he felt Levi relax as he rested his cheek on the top of Levi’s head. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Hm?”

“Why does your mom call you ‘Rivaille’? Is that your full name?”

“It’s actually my real name from birth. ‘Levi’ is my other legal name.”

Eren raised his eyebrows at that. “Do you mind if I asked why you prefer to be called ‘Levi’ instead of your real name?”

“Not at all. In elementary school, I got picked on because of my name. The kids would call me ‘Ravioli’ all the time because they couldn’t pronounce my name properly. I got upset about it and begged my mom to have my name changed or get a new one.” Levi snorted. “It’s actually a stupid reason now that I think about it, but now it kind of just stuck.”

Eren hummed at Levi’s explanation of his name. “Do you prefer one name over the other?”

Levi shrugged. “It’s all the same to me now that I’m older. You don’t need to call me by my real name, Eren.” Thinking about something, he asked, “By the way, do you only want to be called ‘Eren,’ or do you have other names as well?” It was a question he’d been meaning to ask for a while, but there wasn’t an opportunity to until now.

“Oh. Hmm, I guess I never really given it much thought. I know there are people who have different names depending on what gender they are, but for me, I’m perfectly fine with the name my parents gave me.

“Where I grew up, we had a mix of people from all around the world with English as their second language. They would call me ‘Erin’, ‘Allen’, ‘Evan’, ‘Ellen’, and ‘Aaron’ because of their accents, but it never bothered me.”

Levi nodded once the brunet finished, relieved that he didn’t offend Eren with his question. He lifted his head and gently kissed Eren on the lips. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Thank you too,” Eren said as he kissed back. The two gently kissed each other, not willing to move more than necessary. It was calming, Eren thought, to be in the bedroom that his boyfriend grew up in and lazily making out on the bed while Levi’s mother was downstairs making lunch for them. Nothing interrupted them as they basked in each other’s attention and love.

Until Kuchel called (more like yelled since she was calling from the kitchen) for them down for lunch of course.

Levi groaned as he pulled away. “That’s our cue to go.”

Eren quickly pecked his lips as they got up. “We’ll continue later, okay?”

Levi chuckled. “I call tops tonight.”

“Hey! You topped last time!” Eren pouted.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Levi offered.

Eren let out a snort before laughing. “You’re such a dork. Okay fine, we’ll play later tonight, alright?”

The black-haired man let out an amused chuckled as he held hands with Eren. “Sounds good to me,” he said as he walked them out of the room with Eren beside him.

Hopefully Mikasa would sleep earlier tonight and his maman would be too distracted with her dramas to hear anything from his room.

* * *

“Maman, wha-”

“Shh!” the woman made a hushing motion as she tugged her son to the kitchen. Seeing that Eren and Mikasa were still watching TV and not paying attention to them, she opened the back door and stepped outside onto the patio.

Suspicious with his mother’s actions, Levi wordlessly followed her outside and gently closed the door behind him. Kuchel gave him a smile as she nodded to the wicker chair across from her as she sat down. “Have a seat.”

Once she saw him settle in his chair, she poured a cup a tea for him from the teapot she pre-arranged for them before pouring a cup of her own. The two blew on their cups before taking a sip. Breaking the silence, Levi asked, “Okay, Maman, why’d you bring me out here.”

“For a little chat of course.” She put down her teacup before asking, “How are things between you and Eren?”

Having a feeling where the conversation was headed, he replied, “Wonderful, Maman. Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering when you’d pop the question.”

Thankfully, Levi wasn’t drinking his tea when she asked that or else he would have chocked on it. Even though he was expecting it, he still wasn’t prepared for her abruptness.

Like mother, like son after all.

Putting down his cup, Levi bit his lips in thought. “I… I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Have you asked Eren about his opinion about it yet?” she asked.

“Not yet. I don’t want to scare him off.”

Kuchel rolled her eyes. “Levi, mon petit chou, Eren wouldn’t be scared at all. I could see it in his eyes that he loves you dearly.”

“I know, but I don’t know how to ask his opinion about it. Marriage isn’t for everyone after all.”

“But it does have a lot of benefits,” Kuchel said. “Remember, he’s not from here and is only in this country for a fixed amount of time.”

Levi’s stomach lurched at that. It was hard to remember that Eren wasn’t a permanent resident since he saw the brunet every morning, but what she said was true. Unless Eren renewed his visa, and go through a tedious process, he would have to go back home.

Away from him and Mikasa.

Seeing her son’s troubled face, she reached over to place her hand over his. “Levi, I’m not trying to rush you two, but I at least want you to talk to him about it.”

Levi nodded. “I know. I’ll talk with Eren about it soon.”

“Good,” she said as she patted his hand before reaching down her pocket to pull out something. “I know I just said that I’m not rushing you, but I want to give you this now before I forget.” She opened the palm of Levi’s hand and dropped a small box onto it.

He looked at her briefly; saw her reassuring smile, before opening it to see an elegant, [dainty ring](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/19/97/e5/1997e59813f58646432b730642c57fff.jpg). “This is…”

“It was my old engagement ring your father used to propose me with before he passed away,” Kuchel said in a soft voice. “I’m not saying that you should use this exact ring, not everyone is into delicate stuff, but I figure you might have some use for it.”

Taking a pause, she then added, “Well, if you and Eren aren’t into it, then maybe Mikasa would like it.” She almost laughed out loud when she saw Levi clenched his hand around the box. “You know it’s going to happen one day,” she said.

“Give me two decades to entertain that thought,” Levi said dryly. Looking down at the ring, his heartbeat sped up before he closed the box. “Thank you, Maman,” he said when he looked into her eyes.

“Anything for mon petit chou,” she said as she stood up with the tray with their teacups. “You know, we didn’t have a lot of money but your father managed to get that from an antique store. It’s part of the reason why I opened my own – I want people to find a treasure to love.”

“Yeah, and to also clutter people’s lives with the stuff.”

Kuchel lightly knocked his head. “Hush, you. I’ll head inside first.”

“I’ll stay out here for a bit,” Levi said as he stared up into the night sky.

“Okay. Good night, Levi.”

“Good night, Maman,” he said, hearing the door shut. The man sighed as he played with the box with his hand, lost in thought about what to do.

He quickly pocketing the box when he heard the door open again, and when he turned around, he saw Eren standing at the doorway. “Hey,” the brunet said as he walked towards him.

“Hey there yourself,” Levi said, watching Eren pull the chair that his mother previously sat on and put it right next to his.

Sitting down, Eren commented, “It’s really nice out here. You can see the stars more clearly.”

Levi only hummed in acknowledgement and Eren stared at him with an inquisitive look. “Do you have a lot on your mind?”

“Yeah.”

Eren leaned his head on Levi’s shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”

Levi hummed again as he lifted his arm to wrap it around Eren’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of the brunet beside him.

He felt perfectly content like this, sitting outside watching the stars with Eren by his side.

It was something that he could see himself do every single night if Eren was there with him.

Pulling the brunet closer, Levi whispered. “Give me some time, okay?”

Eren tilted his head to place a kiss on his cheek. “I believe in you.”

Levi smiled as he held Eren closer, thinking about their future together like this before closing his eyes.

“Thank you.”


	53. Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _L’amour est éternel._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are getting longer~ Hope your week has been EREN-ful. Haha! Get it? Eventful but with Eren? :D Ahahaha...ha... Okay, I’ll stop now... OTL But seriously, check out all these Erens!
> 
> ♥ [The King and Queen](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/140161021918/the-king-and-queen-of-comh-d-cocoachoux) honours our presence again thanks to bloodredphantom!  
> ♥ And there’s never enough Eren around and hi-im-pandaa blessed up with [all the Erens](http://hi-im-pandaa.tumblr.com/post/140281351973/so-i-ve-been-working-on-this-project-for-a-while)!

Eren stood next to the three Ackermans standing in front of the tombstone in a secluded graveyard. The brunet frowned as he glanced at their somber looks, staying quiet as they said their greetings to the stone that held two names in elegant script as well as the dates of their birth and death. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, it was a bright and sunny day with a slight wind blowing across the graveyard.

While Eren felt awkward being there since he wasn’t exactly family, nor did he knew Mikasa’s parents personally, he was there for moral support if the family needed it. He watched as Mikasa took a step forward and knelt down in front of the clean slate of stone (he helped Levi clean the tombstone since the keeper didn’t maintain it well enough, or so said Levi) and put down the bouquet of gladiolus and white lilies in front of it.

Once she balanced herself after placing down the flowers, she said in a small voice, “Hi Mom, Father.”

Eren briefly wondered why she called her father that, but he guessed it was a formality thing before she spoke again. “I hope you’re fine wherever you are. I’m… I’m doing well. This past year has been interesting. Oh, I’m now the captain for the soccer and basketball team. Straight A’s too.”

Eren felt Levi’s hand find his, interlacing their fingers together. When he looked down to the raven’s face, he saw Levi smile proudly as Mikasa talked about her accomplishments within the year. Eren smiled as well when he remembered the day Mikasa smacked Levi’s face with her report card and demanded him to take her for out for cupcakes as a reward for getting perfect grades.

“I miss you,” Eren heard, interrupting his thoughts. His heart clenched when he noted how soft her voice went and how small she looked as she continued kneeling down in front of the tombstone. Levi gripped onto his hand tighter and Eren gave him a reassuring squeeze back.

“Dad takes very good care of me so you don’t need to worry,” she said before her voice turned a lighter and playful. “But he’s still a giant dork so it’s fun messing with him.”

Levi snorted, and Eren smiled when he saw the corner of the shorter man’s lips quirk up.

“And Dad finally found someone,” Mikasa continued. “His name is Eren and he’s a boy today. He’s super nice and pretty and talented.”

Eren blushed when Levi nudged him and smiled as Mikasa continued talking.

“Eren’s also a YouTuber and he does beauty tutorials. They met in Toronto and they’re _so_ in love with each other.”

Kuchel didn’t even bother concealing her amused giggle as the two men glared at her with flustered faces.

“He lives with us and makes yummy food and we record videos together too. It’s a lot of fun!” Mikasa said with a smile. “I’m sure you would have loved him too.”

Mikasa stood up and went back to the adults and tugged on Eren’s free hand, dragging him closer to the tombstone. “This is Eren. See? I told you he was pretty.”

Eren bit lips as he knelt down in front of the grave. “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman, I’m Eren Yeager,” he said. “I’m living with Mikasa and Levi during my stay here. You two raised a wonderful and beautiful daughter. I’m lucky to have met her.”

Mikasa nodded beside him. “Uh huh, and Eren calls me ‘çiçeğim’ which means ‘my flower’ and I call him ‘Anne’ which means ‘Mom’ in Turkish. Sometimes I’ll call him ‘Papa’ but he usually likes being called ‘Anne’,” she explained. “It’s very cute and I like being around Eren. He’s lots of fun compared to Dad.”

Levi rolled his eyes at that but he still smiled as she continued on about how great Eren was to her parents’ tombstone. He side-eyed his maman when she leaned against him.

“She certainly has grown, hasn’t she?” Kuchel said in a low voice to Levi, making sure the other two couldn’t hear her.

At Levi’s hum of agreement, she continued, “I’m glad she’s smiling this time. She wasn’t as… chipper compared to last year.”

Levi’s lips pulled down to a slight frown at the memory of a teary-eyed Mikasa sitting in front of the grave. She didn’t say much when they visited last year, the second year of her parents’ death, opting to sit in front of the grave for an hour in silence before they had to leave. It broke Levi’s heart when he saw her distant looks and it took a good while after until she felt better again.

This time, however, was much different. Though she wasn’t exactly happy per se about visit the grave, but she was better. Getting over her parents’ death took a toll on her and it wasn’t something she would ever forget. It would still take a lot of time for her to heal, but at least she was smiling and talking now – something her parents would have wanted to see.

The frown turned back into a smile when he saw Eren wrapped his arms around Mikasa and nuzzled into her hair and laughed when she said something funny. Levi’s heart swelled with affection as he watched the two, and his smile grew wider when Mikasa mentioning how happy she was living with him and Eren.

The longer he watched them, the more he needed to ask Eren to stay with them – he completed their little family more than he could ever imagine.

_“Entre deux coeurs qui s’aiment, nul besoin de paroles.”_

Levi blinked as he glanced at his maman. “What?”

Kuchel shook her head and smiled. “Two hearts in love need no words,” she translated, even though she knew he had heard her the first time. She lightly tapped her son’s chest with her finger where his heart was. “Don’t worry about it so much, mon petit chou. Believe in Eren,” she said.

But he does. He just needed the right time.

When he looked at the flowers that were gently blowing against the wind and the hushed conversations between Mikasa and Eren, he made a decision.

 _‘Tomorrow,’_ he thought. Tomorrow he would ask Eren.

* * *

Levi scrunched his nose in disdain as he walked into the dingy-looking parlor. He walked straight to the desk and kicked it, lazily glaring at the blond man sleeping on the chair behind it. “Hannes.”

Said blond man woke up from his name being called and he groggily rubbed his eyes. “Ken, wha- Levi! It’s been ages, sport!”

“Good to see that you’re hard at work, Hannes,” Levi said. “Where’s Kenny?”

“In the back,” he gestured behind him. “In the usual room all set up and sterilized for ya.”

“Thanks,” Levi said as he headed towards the back.

Hannes stifled a yawn as he relaxed back into his chair. “Wake me up before you leave. I want to see how it turns out. Oh and we should also grab some coffee to catch up afterwards.”

“You going to be sleeping for that long?”

Hannes laughed at that. “I can damn well try.”

Levi rolled his eyes but waved at him before walking through the back door. He walked down the corridor until he reached a brightly-lit room. Not even a step in and he was held into a headlock. He clenched his teeth when he felt his hair being ruffled.

“Levi! It’s so good to see you again!” The hair ruffling continued until Levi stomped on the other man’s foot to make him let go.

With an irritated sigh, he combed through his hair as he said in a monotone voice, “Hello, Kenny.”

“That’s no way to greet your uncle,” Kenny said as he gave the shorter man a loud pat on the back. “Ah, whatever. That behavior of yours is endearing.”

Levi felt an impending headache coming. “Can we just get this done and over with?”

“Fine, fine. Ruin my fun,” he said, nodding his head towards the desk in the corner. “Take a seat. I took a few sketches from the picture you sent but do you have the real thing by chance?”

Levi unzipped his jacket and pulled out Mikasa’s flower crown and passed it to his uncle. Kenny took the crown and inspected it before nodding.

“The sketches are very close to this but I’ll probably make a few revisions. Hope you cleared out your schedule for today little buddy because it’s going to take a while.”

Levi sat down on the chair and took a look at the sketches. “Maman is taking them out for brunch and then shopping right after, so that will be a whole day in itself.”

“Ah right, Kuchel mentioned that you have a new love in your life. So who’s the lucky girl or boy?”

“Eren’s a boy today,” Levi said as he picked the best sketch and passed it to Kenny and pointed out what needed editing. “He came here with us to visit Mikasa’s parents’ grave.”

Kenny let out a low whistle as he modified the sketch. “That serious already?”

“Maman gave me her engagement ring.”

The older man paused and looked at his nephew. “Impressive. Never pegged you as someone who’ll tie the knot. Ever.”

Levi shrugged as he watched Kenny do his work. “Never thought I would either, but then again, I didn’t imagine that I would be a parent yet here I am.”

“Fair point.”

They discussed back and forth about the design until Levi was satisfied with the look of it.

“Alright, onto the chair for prep. You know the drill,” Kenny said as he got the drawing ready for the stencil.

Levi moved over to the dentist-style chair and took off his jacket and shirt before laying stomach-first on it. Kenny came back a few moments later with the stencil and cleaned the shoulder blade area where Levi wanted the tattoo and shaved off any hairs there.

Kenny then placed the stencil on and gave Levi a mirror to see where he placed it and if it needed readjustments. Once the shorter man gave the okay, he took deep breaths as he watched Kenny get ready with the machine.

“You ready little buddy?” Kenny asked, needle in his nitrile glove-covered hand.

With another deep breath, Levi nodded. “Ready.”

Levi closed his eyes as he felt the first prick of the needle on his back, wondering how Eren and Mikasa would react to his new tattoo once he got home.

* * *

“We’re back!”

Levi peaked around the kitchen to see Mikasa, Eren, and his mother slumped against the walls, shopping bags scattered all over their feet. “Did you guys end up buying the whole mall or something?”

Eren was the first to regain energy as he took off his shoes and walked towards him, giving Levi an ‘I’m home’ kiss before hugging the man around his waist. “We bought a thing or two.”

“Right.”

“What’re you making?” Eren asked as he sniffed, smelling something delicious coming from the oven.

“Oven pot roast. You hungry?”

“I’m starved!” Kuchel said as she walked into the kitchen. “Thank you for making dinner, mon petit chou.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek before rummaging around the kitchen.

“Yeah, thanks Dad!” Mikasa said as she squeezed her way into the kitchen as well. She looked up and made an inquisitive look when she spotted clear film poking out from the back of his shirt. “Hey Dad, what’s on the back of your neck?”

Levi bit his lips and pulled Eren out of the kitchen. “Maman, can you look after the roast?” he called over his shoulder.

Kuchel gave him a confused look but when she noticed the odd way that Levi was behaving, it immediately clicked in on what her son was trying to do and she gave him an encouraging smile. “Of course. Take your time.” She said, wrapping her arms around Mikasa so she wouldn’t follow.

Levi nodded and heard his maman ask Mikasa to help her set the table while he continued grasping Eren’s hand as they went up the stairs to his room.

He guided Eren to his room and told him to sit on his bed and to stay put. Levi quickly went to the bathroom to take off his jacket and shirt and the plastic wrap before gently cleaning the tattoo with the soap that he had prepared. Once he was done, he went back to his room, closing the door behind him and sat beside Eren, making sure the brunet didn’t see his back as he did so.

Eren smiled and scooted closer to Levi and wiggled his eyebrows. “So, what’re we doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you dragged me into your room and told me to stay put, left to do something, and came back shirtless and closed the door so no one could hear us. Pretty suspicious if you ask me.”

Levi didn’t say anything at first; deciding to wrap his arms around Eren and pulled them down onto the bed so they were laying on their sides next to each other.

Eren chuckled at the action and his smile only grew wider when Levi placed his hand on his cheek, nuzzling into it with a content sigh. “What’re you thinking about, Levi?”

“I’m thinking about how much I love you.”

The brunet gave him a lazy grin. “You’re such a sap.”

Levi hummed as he watched the adoring green and gold eyes staring right at him, ignoring his rapid heartbeat as he leaned forward to kiss Eren’s nose. “Hey, Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever thought about our future together?”

Eren blinked slowly and his smile set down into a neutral line. “I have… why?” he asked cautiously.

Levi gave him a nod before continuing, “I’ve been thinking about it too.”

Eren gave him an apprehensive look, waiting for the other man to continue.

“Do you want to stay with me and Mikasa?” Levi asked, unsure of what to say.

“Of course I do,” Eren said. “You two are important to me.”

“And you’re important to us,” Levi said, brushing away Eren’s bangs from his eyes. “More than you’ll ever realize,” he added as an afterthought.

Eren furrowed his brows at that. Levi has mentioned before but Eren never actually understood what he meant by it. “Make me realize it then.”

Levi paused at the serious look on Eren’s face before exhaling, wondering how he should start.

“About a year ago, after the second anniversary of Mikasa’s parents’ death, I took Mikasa shopping for back-to-school stuff and she saw these flower crowns that reminded her of the time she used to make it with her mom. As you know, the stuff they sell in stores are cheaply made and way too overpriced.”

Eren snorted at that, knowing it was true, and let Levi continue what he was saying.

“So I decided to make one for her, thinking that it would be more thoughtful than just buying one. That’s when I stumbled upon your flower crown video.”

“I remember you mentioning that in your letter,” Eren added.

“Right,” he nodded. “When Mikasa found out, she was happy to talk to me about you since she was a fan of yours for a while. From then on, we got closer together. It wasn’t as though our relationship before was bad, but there was still some awkwardness in the air. After that video, she started to smile more and laughed more and she even started to call me ‘Dad’ more too.”

Eren smiled as he watched Levi’s lips form into the smile without him realizing it, keeping his mouth shut as he continued listening.

“Mikasa was the reason why I ended up going to Toronto last year. She figured out my, uh, crush on you and decided to do something about it.”

Eren couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like you have your own little matchmaker.”

“I do, don’t I?” Levi smirked. “She could be such a little shit but I love her.”

Levi bit his lips as he looked down and reached to hold Eren’s hands with his, rubbing little circles as he pulled them up to his chest.

“What I’m getting at is, is that you’re extremely important to us even before we ever met, Eren. You helped us become closer and after we met you, it felt like our family grew, especially once you moved in.”

The raven let out a small smile when he saw Eren’s eyes started to get watery. Thankfully Eren wasn’t wearing glasses, or else he would’ve let go of his hands to take them off.

“You’re so precious to us, Eren,” Levi said in a whisper. “You singlehandedly changed our little family and I want you to stay with us for a really, really long time.”

Eren’s breath hitched. “You mean…”

Levi let go of his hold on Eren and flipped onto his other side so that his back was facing Eren. He heard Eren’s gasp and felt a hand on his shoulder. “Th-this is…”

“This was the first flower crown I made for Mikasa using your video,” Levi explained. “It was the turning point of our relationship and our lives.”

Eren nodded as his eyes traced over the lines of the new ink on the pale (now slightly pink) skin. The tattoo was in an arch between Levi’s shoulder blades. Right in the middle was a pink gladiolus, Mikasa’s mom’s favorite flower as the girl mentioned to him on the day of the visit, followed by red hyacinths, black tulips, and white lilacs on each side of the gladiolus to form a crown shape.

The more he looked at the illustrative tattoo, the more his eyes started to sting. He was overwhelmed with emotion from the symbolism the tattoo represented and he had this raging desire to touch Levi.

He hovered his fingers above the new ink, tempted to touch it, but refrained from doing so until Levi gave the okay since it was still healing. Instead, the hand that was on Levi’s shoulder started tracing the ink on his arms, while his other hand ran his fingertips up and down Levi’s spine. Eren kissed the back of Levi’s neck, right above the tattoo to stifle a sob he couldn’t hold in.

Startled by that kind of reaction, Levi quickly flipped over and cupped Eren’s teary cheeks. He held the brunet close as he pressed chaste kisses all over Eren’s face to calm him down. “Eren, shh, it’s alright.”

“I can’t, Levi,” Eren blinked rapidly in hopes it would stop his tears. “What the hell did I ever do to deserve you?”

“It’s obvious isn’t it? It’s because you were you, Eren,” Levi said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Eren let out a frustrated cry before capturing Levi’s lips into a kiss. He was determined to keep Levi in his arms as long as possible, letting out a growl when Levi pulled away to breath before pulling him back in.

“Forever,” Eren breathed out, his lips still on Levi’s. “I was so scared that I’ll freak you out and thought that I should wait longer to tell you.”

“I guess the feeling’s mutual then?” Levi cheekily asked.

Eren responded by another breathtaking kiss and Levi concluded that he should do more things to rile Eren up more if he received kisses like this.

Pulling away again, Levi found Eren’s left hand and used his thumb and finger to circle around Eren’s ring finger to size it up. “Since we’re on the same page, would it be too soon to ask what kind of ring you would like?”

Eren opened his mouth to answer but his words were cut off from Kuchel calling them to come down for dinner. The brunet chuckled at Levi’s frustrated groaned and pecked him on the lips before getting out of the bed. “We’ll talk more later, okay?”

Levi huffed at the interruption. “Fine.” He smiled as he followed Eren to go down to the dining room, but his smile immediately set into a frown when he saw another person already seated at the table. “What the fuck are you doing here, Kenny?”

“Watch your shitty language, Levi,” Kenny chided with a smirk. “And I’m here to meet this ‘Eren’ you spoke so highly of when I was doing that piece on your back.”

“You got a new tattoo?” Mikasa asked as she got out of her seat and went behind Levi, pulling him down so she could take a better look. “It’s my flower crown!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“Beautiful, ain’t it? It was all due to my skill of course,” Kenny bragged.

Levi rolled his eyes as he took a seat across from his uncle. Eren sat next to him and Mikasa sat on his other side.

Eren looked between Levi and Kenny before speaking up. “Uhm, Levi? Who’s this?”

Levi sighed and Kenny reached over to shake Eren’s hand. “I’m Kenny, Kuchel’s brother and by default, Levi’s uncle. I co-own a tattoo parlor around here and I do all of Levi’s tattoos. It’s nice to meet the ‘gorgeous pastel being on land with eyes of the ocean and sun and a smile bestowed by the heavens themselves’ that my nephew is infatuated with.”

Eren bit his lips as he shook hands with Kenny, doing his damn best not to smile at Levi’s loud groan and failing miserably. Mikasa didn’t even bother hiding her laugh as she poked Levi’s side.

“Okay, that’s enough teasing,” Kuchel said as she walked into the room with the pot roast. “Levi, why don’t you have a shirt on?”

“New tattoo,” was all Levi said.

She shook her head with a sigh. “Wash up so we can start eating,” she said, directing it to both Eren and Levi. They nodded and excused themselves before leaving the room.

“He seems nice,” Eren commented as they reached the kitchen.

“Oh fuck no. Watch out for him, Eren. He’s dangerous,” Levi warned as he started scrubbing his hands under the kitchen faucet.

Eren rolled his eyes at that. “Uh huh, sure he is.” Smirking, Eren repeated, “So, ‘gorgeous pastel being on land with eyes of the ocean and sun and a smile bestowed by the heavens themselves’ huh?”

Eren laughed at Levi’s pouting face and kissed his cheek. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Though, it’s nice to hear that you love me so much to the point that you have those ridiculous analogies.”

“But they’re true,” Levi mumbled.

Eren chuckled as he kissed Levi’s cheek again as he took over the sink area once the older man was done with it. “You’re cute.”

“You sure you want to start this again?”

“Nah,” Eren said, wiping his hands with a clean cloth. “My grumpy bear should eat before we start,” he said as he looped his arms around Levi’s.

Levi shook his head in amusement. “You’re really digging yourself a hole here.”

Eren stuck out his tongue. “I’ll drag you down with me.”

Levi laughed at that as he entered the dining room with Eren in tow, preparing himself for the onslaught of questions from his family members about him, Eren, and his new tattoo.


	54. Buffer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the girls to spend quality time together. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pssst~ Have you noticed the number of chapter left? o3o
> 
> On another note, check out the lovely fanart!
> 
> ♥ hi-im-pandaa is back again with this [adorable selfie](http://hi-im-pandaa.tumblr.com/post/140583750658/now-literally-everything-i-draw-is-inspired-by) of the King and the Corporal!
> 
>  _ **EDIT:**_ Apparently AO3 doesn't like emojis... so sorry if you read this earlier and the chapter was cut short! This is the proper and full chapter. I'm really sorry if you've commented on the earlier one! D:

Mikasa stepped over the Roomba as it glided towards her and stepped into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw Eren doing something on the counter and decided to make deliberate loud steps on the floorboards so she wouldn’t scare off the brunette with her presence.

It worked since Eren turned her head and gave her a grin when she approached her. “Hey there, you hungry?”

“A little,” she said as she stood next to her. “What’re you making?”

“I’m making some chicken wraps for us since it was all I could make from what’s leftover in the fridge. I think I need to go to the grocery store later to get more stuff since we had an unplanned dinner night with everyone after the livestream.”

“Can I come?”

“Of course you can,” Eren said. “We’ll eat first before we go, alright?”

Mikasa smiled, happy that she could spend the day with Eren. Ever since school started again, she didn’t spend as much time at home since she had extra-curricular activities at school and at the community centre. And even when she _was_ home, she had to do homework or do a game recording with her friends and Eren.

Taking a plate with some cut-up wraps and a glass of water, Eren instructed her to bring it up to her and Levi’s room since he was still recording. With a nod, Mikasa dashed off to go upstairs, careful that she didn’t drop anything on the way up, and lightly kicked the door since her hands were full. “Dad? I have lunch for you,” she called out.

She waited a few seconds until the door opened. “Hey Mikasa, thanks for bringing up lunch,” Levi said, his arms reaching to grab the items.

The girl nodded as she passed the food to him. “Eren and I are going grocery shopping after lunch. Will you come with us?”

Levi sighed as he shook his head. “I would love to, but I have a lot of stuff to record today and then I have to edit.”

“That’s okay,” Mikasa assured him. Noticing how deep the bags under his eyes were, she said in a concerned voice, “You should really hire someone, Dad. You’re doing a lot of work lately.”

As if to prove her point, Levi yawned before nodding. “Maybe. I’ll see how much I can do until I need to call in for help.” Balancing the glass onto the plate, Levi reached over to lightly pinch one of her pouty cheeks. “Go have fun lots of fun with Eren today, alright?”

“Okay,” she smiled, watching her dad wave at her before closing the door. She turned around and went down the steps and into the kitchen to see Eren already seated and her plate of food next to hers.

Mikasa quickly washed her hands in the sink and then hopped onto the barstool next to Eren and took the first bite, humming in satisfaction as she took another bite.

“That good, eh?” Eren asked with a smile.

“Yup! Eren makes everything yummy!” Mikasa replied in-between bites.

Eren laughed as she went back to her own food, happy with the praise from her... daughter? Was that right?

The brunette swallowed as she contemplated about her relationship with Mikasa. Biting her lips, she called to her, “Hey, Mikasa?”

“Yes?”

“You call me ‘Anne,’ right?”

“Yeah?” Curious as to where the conversation was going, Mikasa turned to face Eren, the food left on her plate as she gave her full attention to her. “Why do you ask?”

Seeing the little girl’s eyes on her reminded Eren of Levi – how the two of them would have eyes that seem cold, but are quite expressive once you know them. It was surprising how much Mikasa was like Levi, even though he raised her for three years of her life.

Eren never felt nervous when she was around Mikasa; the two got along instantly which was something Eren was grateful for, but now…

“I was just wondering, do I call you my daughter, or would you rather I just stick with ‘Mikasa’?” Eren internally winced with her own wording. She must have been spending way too much time with Levi since it wasn’t exactly as eloquently said as she would have liked it to be.

“Sure. You can call me your daughter,” Mikasa shrugged. “You and Dad are going to get married, aren’t you?”

Eren was surprised by her nonchalant response, but at the same time, it was also what she had expected how Mikasa would react. The beauty guru remembered how Levi suggested Eren talk with Mikasa a few nights ago when they were talking about marriage and their relationship and how it would affect Mikasa. Even though Mikasa was over the moon when Levi and Eren mentioned about getting married during that night at Kuchel’s (Kenny immediately went to go find the most expensive wine while Kuchel and Mikasa immediately engulfed the couple into tight hugs), there were still a few things that needed to be discussed, especially between her and Mikasa.

“Yes, we are,” Eren replied.

“Then you can call me whatever you like, Eren,” Mikasa paused. “Do you want me to call you ‘Anne’ from now on or would you prefer if I call you by your name?”

Mikasa’s maturity never ceased to amaze Eren and she was so thankful to the little girl for being so open and honest to her.

Smiling, Eren reached to tuck strands of black hair behind Mikasa’s ear before answering, “You can call me whatever you like, Mikasa,” she copied. “Just go with what feels natural. I won’t get offended if you call me either one.”

Mikasa gave a grateful smile to her and Eren felt her heart squeeze at the precious sight. Was this what parental love felt like? The desire to protect and help them grow their wings? If so, then Eren was going to do her damn best to always be there for Mikasa and to guide her when she needed it.

The two finished their meals and washed their dishes before getting ready to leave the house. Mikasa told Eren that Levi wasn’t joining them, which was fine with Eren since she wanted to spend more quality time with Mikasa. (Also, she could brag about her day to Levi when they cuddle in bed before sleeping.)

As Eren debated with herself in front of her vanity about what accessories she should wear, an idea popped into head as she looked at her collection of rings. _‘Should I…?’_

 _‘Yes,’_ she decided. There was no better opportunity than now. While she and Levi have talked about rings during their time in San Francisco, the moment they came back from their trip, their schedules were off with one another (Eren did more collaborations with other local YouTubers while Levi had a pile of games to play) so their conversation about rings dropped.

But now she had time to go out and find something to propose Levi with. And if she had Mikasa coming along with her, then she could help her find the perfect one. Even if Eren didn’t plan on proposing right away, it would be better knowing that she would have a ring if the perfect moment ever arises.

Closing up her jewelry box, she decided to wear the bracelet Levi gave to her on Christmas and left her old room (it now turned into her own recording room) with a smile, feeling determined and excited about how the day would turn out.

* * *

“Eren, this isn’t the way to the grocery store,” Mikasa commented when she looked outside, noting that they were driving the opposite direction from the usual place they get groceries from.

Eren grinned as she switched lanes. “I know. I’m kidnapping you for the day. Do you mind?”

“Nope!” Mikasa giggled. “Where are we going?”

“To the mall. I figured we could have a little girl’s day out, just you and me, before we get groceries. You okay with that?”

“Yes!” Mikasa lightly bounced on her seat in excitement. “Are we getting new clothes?”

“Maybe. We’ll take a look around and see what catches our eyes.”

Mikasa hummed in agreement, pulling out her phone to text Armin and Annie what she was doing that day and then taking a selfie with Eren driving in the background, posting the picture on Twitter that read, _‘On a date with @pastel-eren!!! In your face @HueManateesStrongest ❤ #pastelpunk’_

She grinned as she pocketed her phone away, wondering how long it would take until her dad responded back.

The girls made it to the mall safely, but Eren muttered under her breath as she tried to find parking while Mikasa held back her giggles whenever the brunette circled around the same area. Eventually, Eren managed to find a good parking spot and Mikasa latched onto Eren’s hand the moment she got out of the minivan. They walked inside the mall and looked around at a leisurely pace. Sometimes going into stores if there was something interesting, but other than that, there wasn’t a real destination for them.

Eren managed to purchase some new clothes and accessories for herself and Mikasa before she decided it was time to take the little girl up to the higher-end stores. “Hey, let’s go up to see the stores there,” Eren suggested.

Mikasa nodded, not minding where they go, as the two took the escalator up to the highest floor of the mall. The little girl gave Eren a curious look as they went into a fancy jewelry store, wondering if Eren was getting a gift for someone.

They moved over to one of the glass displays with rings, and the woman behind the counter greeted them with a professional smile. “Welcome, are you looking for something special today or do you have something in mind already?”

“I’m actually looking for an engagement ring,” Eren said, smiling when she heard Mikasa’s gasp.

“Really?! You’re going to propose to Dad?!” Mikasa asked, her eyes sparkling as she smiled.

“I’d like to be ready when the time comes, çiçeğim. And I want you to help me pick a ring that your dad will say yes to.”

“Eren, you can give Dad a doughnut for a ring and he will still say yes.”

The brunette laughed and even the woman behind the counter let out a chuckle. Regaining her composure, the woman asked Eren if there was a type of metal or band she was interested in checking out.

“He has mentioned that he doesn’t like to wear yellow gold,” Eren thought after a moment. “I think white gold or platinum would be the best options.”

The woman nodded as she directed them to another display case, showing the two the different kinds of settings and bands that they carried and what made them unique. While the rings shown were quite pretty, nothing felt right in Eren’s opinion and Mikasa agreed.

As the two left the store, the lady behind the counter wished them the best of luck finding the perfect engagement ring before heading to one of the other stores in the mall. “We’ll find one, don’t worry about it, Eren,” Mikasa said, trying to cheer her up.

But even with Mikasa’s reassurances, the two went into every jewelry store and weren’t able to find one that felt like ‘Levi.’

Deciding to go ring shopping another day, the two left the mall to go to the grocery store before going back home. Mikasa frowned when she saw Eren’s discouraged face and took out her phone to see if either Armin or Annie could help her.

 **Mikasa** (4:26 PM)  
_Hey, do you guys know any places that have nice rings?_

 **Armin** (4:27 PM)  
_I don’t know but I can ask my parents._

 **Annie** (4:27 PM)  
_Same. I’ll let you know asap_

 **Armin** (4:30 PM)  
_Papa said that he and Dad got their rings at a place called Rico’s._

 **Annie** (4:31 PM)  
_Back! And my parents too!_

 **Mikasa** (4:31 PM)  
_Awesome! Thank you!_

Mikasa sent them many smiley faces and hearts and she smiled when she got emojis of thumbs up and arm flexing back for good luck. She then opened her browser and searched up the location, pleased when she found out that it wasn’t that far off, about 15 minutes away from the grocery store.

“Eren, turn right at the next light.”

“Why? Do you need the washroom, Mikasa?” Eren asked.

“Nope. It’s my turn to kidnap you.”

“While I’m driving?” Eren asked with mirth.

“Yes, now turn right,” the little girl ordered.

Eren raised a brow, wondering where the girl was taking her, but signaled to turn right anyway. The brunette followed every direction Mikasa gave her, growing more curious as to where they were going.

They pulled up to a small business district and Eren parked the car on the side of the road. “Okay, Mikasa, will you now tell me where we’re going?” Eren asked as she got out of the car, waiting on the sidewalk for her daughter.

“To another jewelry store,” Mikasa simply replied. She took Eren’s hand as she looked at her phone for directions. Looking around her, she started to tug Eren to follow her to a block down to a small store that said ‘Rico’s’ in the front. With no other explanation, Mikasa opened the door to go in and Eren followed behind her.

The bells on the door chimed to signal their arrival and shortly afterwards, a petite woman came from the back and greeted them. “Hello, welcome to Rico’s. I’m Rico, the owner, nice to meet you.”

There was an air of authority coming from this woman and Eren gulped when she shook hands with her. “Uhm, hi. I’m Eren, and this is Mikasa. I’m looking for an engagement ring.”

“What exactly are you looking for?” Rico asked.

“White gold or platinum metal and no large stones.”

Rico nodded, not saying anything as she moved to a counter with the white bands. “Here is our current selection of white gold rings. We do have platinum rings as well, but there aren’t that many. You said no large stones, correct? I’m guessing you don’t have a gemstone of your own then.”

“The person who I’m proposing to doesn’t really care much for gems. He prefers things nice and simple,” Eren explained.

“I see. That narrows down the options then.” Rico pulled out a few simple-looking bands with some patterns and started to explain them to Eren.

Mikasa walked around the store as the adults continued talking, looking at all the pretty jewelry that were shining under the lights in the display case. She moved up to the front of the store where the window display was and let out a gasp. “Eren! Come here!”

Eren excused herself and went over to where Mikasa was. “What is it?”

“That!” Mikasa pointed to one of the rings showcased in front of the windows. Eren followed her direction and her eyes widened when she saw it.

It was a simple ring with a silvery band. There were no jewels on it, but the band turned into [two wings meeting each other in the middle](https://www.catalogfavorites.com/itemdy00.aspx?ID=1,1562&GEN1=Rings&T1=P11381%205&dispRow=398&srccode=) but not overlapping each other. The feathers of the wings were detailed enough to give it an elegant and clean look – something that Eren could see Levi wearing without making it too flashy. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed out.

Rico went around the corner and stood next to the two and let out a hum. “Ah, that one. It’s a lovely piece my grandfather made. And even though it looks frail, it’s actually made out of platinum so it’s very sturdy. You can even add a setting and a gem in the middle where the wings don’t meet if you like.”

Eren shook her head. “No, no. It’s absolutely perfect.”

“Very well.” The petite woman nodded, taking that as her cue to take the ring out of the display. “If you come to the counter, we can discuss the price, sizing, and pick-up date,” she said curtly before going behind the counter again.

Eren knelt down to Mikasa’s height and gave her a hug. “Mikasa, thank you so so much! I’m so glad you’re here with me to pick out your dad’s ring!”

Mikasa grinned as she hugged her back. “Of course! I can’t wait to see Dad’s face when you propose to him.” And then she added, “I bet he would cry. I’ll definitely record it if I’m there.”

Eren laughed as she pulled away. “Hey, I would be crying too.”

“Then I’ll record both of you crying,” Mikasa said as she stuck out her tongue.

Eren lightly bopped her nose and then kissed the girl’s cheek before standing up. “Fair enough. Now let’s finish this and then get those groceries. I bet your dad is a few seconds away from ordering take out since we still don’t have food at home and I took his car.”

Mikasa grinned at that comment. “What would he do without you?”

“I don’t know, çiçeğim. But maybe he would be less of a nerd?”

“Nah, he will forever be the nerd lord. And now you’re going to marry him.”

Eren laughed. “I guess so, but at least I now have you.”

The little girl giggled. “That’s not so bad then.”

* * *

“What’s going on here?”

Levi leaned against the entryway to the living room, looking at the messy pile in front of him with a fond smile. Two heads poked out and he chuckled at their sheepish grins. “A blanket fort, really?” He asked as he quirked up one of his pierced brows.

“Dad, come join us!” Mikasa said as she ducked back in the fort. Eren gave him a wink and went back in as well.

With a huff of amusement, Levi walked over to the strategically-placed blanket pile and crouched down to crawl inside. He was then immediately held down by his own daughter, who was giggling and Eren laughing at their antics. “Give your dad some space to breathe, Mikasa,” Eren told her.

When Mikasa let go of him, Levi noted that there were also pillows scattered around them and at his look, Eren gave him a peck on his cheek. “I’ll do laundry right after,” she whispered.

Levi turned to quickly kiss her back. “Thank you.”

“Dad, look!” Mikasa exclaimed, interrupting them. She turned her head to the side and pointed at her ear. “Eren and I got matching earrings. Aren’t they cute?”

Levi grinned when he saw a little pink flower adoring Mikasa’s ear and he glanced over to Eren who had the same earrings but with a yellow flower instead. “Very cute,” he agreed.

“You done with recording today?” Eren asked.

“Yeah. Just need to edit and I think I’ll be set for the next while. Sorry that I couldn’t come today but it seemed like you two had a lot of fun.” Remembering something that happened earlier that day, he reached over to poke Mikasa’s side. “And thanks for stealing my girlfriend you traitor.”

Eren giggled, knowing that when she retweeted Mikasa’s tweet, the original post gained over 1000 likes in less than an hour. Seeing Mikasa’s smile made Eren remember something and said, “I need to go grab something from my room. Start without me, I’ll be back in a second.” With that, Eren shuffled her way out of the fort.

Levi looked out to see her going up the stairs before he closed the entrance with the blankets that were around and then directed his attention to Mikasa. “Hey, I want to ask you something.”

Mikasa gave him a curious look when he pulled out a box from his pocket. “What is it?”

“Well, you know how Eren and I are going to get married?”

“Uh huh…”

Levi opened the box and showed her the ring that his maman gave to him. “What do you think? Do you think Eren would like it?”

Mikasa slapped her hand on her mouth to cover the laugh that was threatening to escape. These two adults were trying to propose the other without realizing it and Mikasa was in the middle of it all. She wasn’t sure if she should tell them, but if she did, then the surprise would be ruined. Should she tell them the truth?

“Mikasa?”

But she decided…

“It’s super pretty, Dad! And it totally looks like something Eren would wear!”

… that she should keep their secret proposals to herself.

Levi slumped his shoulders as he let out a relieved breath. “That’s good.”

It was more fun this way, in Mikasa’s opinion.

She hid her smirk when Levi pocketed the ring just in time for Eren to come back with something in her hands. “What’re you holding?” Mikasa asked.

Eren crawled over to her and Mikasa’s vision was obscured for a second until she felt something heavy around her neck. She looked down and saw a brass key on her chest and lifted her hand to touch the worn metal.

“It’s my old key,” Eren supplied when she saw the little Ackerman’s inquisitive look. “I wore it all the time as a kid. It was given to me from my dad who got it from his dad, and I figured that you should be the one to carry it now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Besides, you’re more responsible than I ever was as a kid,” Eren giggled.

Mikasa leapt to hug Eren, knocking the brunette onto the pillows and snuggling into her chest. “Thank you!”

“No problem, Mikasa. It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me,” Eren said.

“Hm, seems like I’m the one who’s missing out on stuff,” Levi said, loud enough for the two to hear him.

Eren rolled her eyes and reached out to him. “Come here you jealous bum.”

Levi chuckled as he took her offered hand and fell next to them with Mikasa between him and Eren.

Mikasa giggled when she felt the adults trying to tickle her and she smiled when she heard their whispered conversations about their day. They were a little happy family lying on the pillows under a blanket fort, and Mikasa couldn’t be happier than where she was now between the two people she loved.

Well, until the special day comes of course.

And when the time comes, she would have her phone ready.


	55. Lag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Mikasa to get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s my birthday today! \\(^O^)/ Thank you for all the amazing and lovely birthday wishes! ;w; ♥ They totally made my day and I just want to roll around in all of them. ♡(ŐωŐ ) Thank you again!
> 
> Also, in celebration of my birthday, I finally wrote smut about these two on my Tumblr [here](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/141323445926/click-on-my-heart-chapter-435-babydoll). ;) (It’s like 6k words long though, just thought I should warn you...)

Levi took off his headphones with a sigh before standing up from his chair. He stretched his arms to the ceiling, shaking off the heavy-weight feeling from his shoulders, and there was an audible ‘pop’ sound when he pushed his head to the side to crack his neck. The gamer sighed again as he sank back down onto his chair and stared at the computer screen with a blank look.

It seemed like it was one of those days; he really wasn’t in the mood to do any editing right now. Even though there was a growing list of things he still needed to do recordings of, he was exhausted and just honestly wanted a break at this point.

Levi absentmindedly stared at the screen, trying to think of something to do. Maybe Eren would like to take a walk with him? They were usually finished with their video recording around this time of day and maybe they were bored as well.

With that thought, Levi got up from his desk and locked his computer before leaving the room to the beauty guru’s recording room. He knocked on the door and then peered in to see the brunet lying on the bed with their laptop. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eren greeted back, sitting up as Levi approached them.

The raven crawled onto the bed and flopped onto Eren just in time for them to push their laptop off to the side. Levi hummed when Eren wrapped their arms around him and snuggled into their neck. “You busy?” he mumbled.

“Just some editing,” Eren replied. “Why? Do you want to do something?”

“Thought we could drive to the park and walk around for a bit, and then pick Mikasa up from school afterwards.”

“That sounds great,” Eren smiled. They rubbed the back of Levi’s back with their hands but stilled when they noticed the bags under Levi’s eyes. “Hey, are you okay? You seem tired.”

Levi closed his eyes as Eren massaged the side of his head and let out a sigh. “Just a lot of recording and editing to do. I want to take a break before doing anything more; to recharge, so to speak.”

Eren nodded as they kissed the temple of Levi’s head. “Okay. I know it’s useless to ask you not to work too hard, but try not to overwork yourself and keel over, alright? Maybe you should have someone edit your videos? That would cut your time by half at least.”

“Mikasa suggested the same thing a while ago,” Levi mentioned. “I’ll look into it,” he promised as he got up from the bed and stretched. “You ready to go?”

“Just one second.”

Eren got up from the bed and into their walk-in closet, leaving Levi to collapse back onto the bed. When they came back out, they spun on the spot and gave Levi a smile. “How do I look?”

Levi sat back up to take a full look; they were wearing a large black and white [blocky-styled sweater](http://www.yesstyle.ca/en/streetstar-contrast-panel-pullover/info.html/pid.1048847882) with white skinny jeans, topped with a simple [white and black snapback](http://www.yesstyle.ca/en/hats-n-tales-contrast-snapback-cap/info.html/pid.1048417624) and pink hairclips pulling their bangs to the side. “You look like one of those kpop idols you like so much,” he pointed out.

“Androgynous then. Perfect.”

The man snorted as he got off from the bed and went over to Eren to give them a kiss on the cheek. “You’re always perfect,” he said, holding their hand. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” they said, giving Levi’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The drive to the park was short, and because it was the middle of the day, there weren’t that many people around. The couple held hands as they walked through the park without a care in the world, just having little conversations here and there about their future recordings and ideas. However, during their walk around the park, Eren noticed that Levi kept on rubbing the ring finger on their left hand. Whether or not the man was doing it intentionally or not, Eren wasn’t sure but it got them thinking.

Of course Eren has thought about the perfect moment to propose (has been on their mind for several weeks now), but there never seemed to be a perfect opportunity for it. The ring they had resized for Levi was always in their bag like a constant reminder. Eren wanted to propose soon, but the timing never felt right or there wasn’t an opportunity to.

While Eren knew in their heart that Levi would say yes if they proposed in any circumstance (or with a donut, as Mikasa has told them), they wanted it to be memorable and special moment for them and Levi to fondly remember back on in their future years together. Levi always went above and beyond to make them smile, and they wanted to do the same for the man as well.

“Eren?”

“Hm?”

“What’re you sighing about?”

They blinked at the question, not realizing that they actually did let out a sigh. Eren stopped in their tracks and Levi stopped as well. “Is there something you want to talk about?” he asked.

“Kind of but not exactly,” Eren said. “Just thinking about the future, that’s all.”

Levi only hummed at that as they started walking again. “Is it about us or…?”

“It is, but it’s nothing negative,” Eren assured him. “I-I was just thinking of happy you make me, Levi, and I was wondering what I can do to make you happy too.”

The couple stopped again, but this time, Levi pulled Eren to face him and held their face between his hands.

“Eren,” Levi said sternly. “You make me very happy every single day. Just having you beside me is enough to make me smile and make my heart flutter like a damn teenager with their first crush.”

He pulled Eren into a kiss, not caring if there were people watching them, and held them closer to him.

“I love you, Eren,” he said once they broke away. “And I’m very lucky to have you love me back. I know we’re not getting married yet, but knowing that you trust me to go to that next step in life with you makes me really happy as is.”

Eren gave him a smile as they looped their arms around Levi’s shoulders and pulled the man to their chest. “Thank you for telling me that.”

Levi held them tighter as he looked up to their mismatched eyes that were filled with unshed tears. “We can take it slow, Eren. There’s no need to rush things along if we’re not ready for it.”

Eren closed their eyes, fearing that if they stared at Levi’s eyes full of unabashed love for them long enough, then they would propose right here and now.

With a shuddered breath, they nodded in agreement, slowly opening their eyes to see Levi’s smiling face. They smiled back and gave him a kiss before disentangling their limbs and went back to holding hands.

“We still have a few more minutes until Mikasa gets off school. Do you want to walk around the fountain one more time before we leave?” Levi asked.

“Do you think we would have time for a lazy make out session under the trees before we go instead?” Eren pouted.

“I like your idea better,” Levi abruptly said. “Let’s do that instead of walking.”

Eren laughed when Levi started pulling them towards the group of trees and bushes near the pond.

 _‘This is the man I want to marry,’_ Eren thought as they were pulled to hide behind a tree with Levi pinning them against it.

With a smile, Eren pulled Levi into a kiss, trying not to make any suspicious sounds in case anyone was walking by, feeling the man’s soft lips part open to let their tongue in.

_‘And I wouldn’t have it any other way.’_

* * *

Levi sighed as he flopped back onto his computer chair; his video capture was still waiting for him just as he left it hours ago. The walk with Eren cleared up his mind and the lazy afternoon make out session was a nice way to end it off before they picked up Mikasa from school. He really didn’t want to end their time to end, but work was work and the job doesn’t do itself.

Still not in the mood for editing just yet, he opened up his work email account to clear out his inbox and reply to any messages that needed correspondence. He deleted about 100 emails until one caught his eye:

_Toronto Game Con – Honoured Guests Invitation_

He paused at the subject line but then clicked on it. An idea started to form as he read over the email and then he re-read it to make sure he understood what was going on. Levi internally smiled to himself as he got out of his chair and left the room.

“Family meeting in the kitchen, now!”

Levi said it loud enough for Eren and Mikasa to hear him because he heard two doors open before footsteps followed him to kitchen where he pulled out the laptop sitting on the counter and rapidly typing on it.

“What’s going on?” Mikasa asked as she sat on the barstool with Eren sitting next to her, giving Levi a puzzled look at the sudden call for a meeting.

“Mikasa, do you remember what happened around this time last year?” Levi asked, answering her question with his own.

The little girl furrowed her brow as she tried to recall what was asked of her. “Halloween?”

“What did you do around that time?”

“Um, we did my costume?”

“And?” Levi prompted.

“And… watched Eren’s videos? And I accepted your invitation to-”

Mikasa gasped as she slammed her hands on the kitchen island. “Are we going to Toronto?!”

“Wait, what?” Eren looked between the Ackermans, wondering what was going on.

Levi nodded at her enthusiasm and opened up the email on the laptop and passing it to them to read. “I was invited to attend, but it seems like they also want to invite _LittlePlayGround_ to go as well, which means-”

“Armin and Annie can come!” Mikasa finished off, clapping her hands in excitement.

“You got it. I’m going to call up Erwin and then Reiner to see what they have to say, but I think it should be fine. And Eren-”

Eren looked up from the laptop to see Levi giving them a genuine smile. “I’m sure you would want to visit your friends and family, right? I still need to get your parents’ blessings since you already got Maman’s and Kenny’s okay.”

Eren’s eyes widened, realizing that they forgot to mention something this important to their parents. They groaned as they slumped on the counter, hearing Levi laughter as Mikasa started calling her friends. “I’m so screwed…”

“Not really, but I think your parents might have a fit if they knew that you haven’t told them sooner,” Levi said as he ruffled Eren’s brown locks. “If it makes you feel any better, I have to go up against your parents to tell them my intentions with you.”

“My mom adores you so you should be fine,” Eren said. “Dad might be a tad heartbroken and would probably give you the ‘break-their-heart-and-I’ll-hunt-you-down’ speech, but it should be fine.”

After a moment, they snorted. “Your protectiveness with Mikasa sometimes reminds me of my dad.”

Levi eyes narrowed as he bent down to whispered in Eren’s ear, “Says the one who called me ‘Daddy’ the other night.”

Eren whipped their head up and gave him a scandalous look. “Levi!” they hissed, glancing to the side to see Mikasa talking with either Armin or Annie on the phone.

They glared at Levi who was clutching his sides as he laughed. “You ass, you’re _so_ going to pay for that,” they seethed out.

“I look forward to it,” Levi winked as he dialed up the blond giants.

Eren huffed as they crossed their arms. _‘Stupid Levi and his stupid randomness of suaveness. I want my dork back,’_ they pouted.

“Hey, Eren” Mikasa said, interrupting their thoughts. “That means it’s almost been a year since we met you.”

“That’s right,” Eren said. “Time flies by, eh? I remember how I gave you my scarf and going to the convention with you two and my friends. And then we did touristy stuff and also…”

Eren’s eyes widened and they quickly looked over to Levi to see him preoccupied with the phone. They pulled Mikasa down with them off from the barstools, startling her, and ducked down from Levi’s view. “Mikasa, you gave me a great idea!” they whispered.

“What is it?” the little girl whispered back.

“I’ll propose to your dad on his birthday.”

Mikasa’s covered her mouth to contain her gasp. “Really?” She silently squealed when Eren nodded and hugged them. “I’m so excited! I’m going to record everything!”

“Record what?”

The two looked up to see Levi looking down at them. “What are you two doing?”

“Secret,” they both answered, making Levi raise a brow at them.

“Hn, fine,” he said, thinking it was probably another video project they wanted to work on. “Hey Eren, can you help search for flights? The hotel would be covered by the convention staff, but we’ll have to pay for our own flight; it’s going to be hard since it’s not only us going but Armin’s family and Annie’s family is going too. Fuck it; I wouldn’t be surprised if Hange, Izzy, and Far would want to come with us once they catch wind of us taking a group trip.”

Eren stood up with Mikasa and rubbed the back of their head. “Yeah, that’s going to take some work,” they said. “I’ll get started now and let you know later what I’m able to find.”

“Perfect, thank you. I’ll go message the coordinators and see what we can do since there’s a larger number than expected.”

Eren nodded and left the kitchen with a wave.

Seeing the brunet leave, Mikasa went up to her dad and tugged on his shirt. “Do you need me to do anything?”

The older Ackerman hummed in thought. “Maybe you could call Izzy and Hange about what’s going on? I’m sure it would be better to hear it from you than from Erwin or else I’ll be getting an earful of them asking me why I didn’t tell them.”

“Okay.” Mikasa was about to leave the kitchen but stopped mid-stepped when something occurred in her mind. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have an idea of when you’ll propose to Eren?”

Levi paused and turned to look at her. “I was thinking of proposing in Toronto once I read the email. Actually, I was going to ask you what your thoughts about it are.”

Mikasa’s mind went to work as she asked, “Are you proposing where you two first met?”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure what the weather would be like when we’re at the convention.”

“I see.”

“Why? Do you have other ideas on how I should propose to Eren?” Levi asked suspiciously.

“Kind of, but I’ll let you know later,” Mikasa said as she dashed out of the kitchen, giggling at Levi’s shout of protest behind her.

She quickly got up the stairs and pulled out her phone, pressing the ‘call’ button after scrolling through her contacts and waited for the other person to pick up.

She didn’t have to wait long until she heard Hange’s voice fill her ears as she approached her room.

“Evening, munchkin! What’s up?”

“Hange, I need your help.”

“Ohhh! Is this another secret plan?”

Mikasa locked the door behind her and went to her desk where her computer was. “Yup, and it’s a big one.”

There was cackling on the other end and Mikasa couldn’t hold back her smirk as she told them what her plans were.

“So? What do you think?” she asked after her explanation.

“I think Levi should watch out when you get older,” Hange chuckled. “But I think it’s a great idea. I’ll start researching and see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Hange.”

“Anytime, sweetums. Have a good night!”

“Night, Hange.”

Mikasa smiled as she hung up her phone and pulled out her calendar on her computer to start marking dates of when things should be done. The next few weeks would involve a lot of planning on her part, but if all goes well, then her two most favorite people in the world would be wearing rings by the end of it all.


	56. Trending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Always have faith in Mikasa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO!!! Check out this week’s amazing fanart (some aren’t from COMH, but SHHH):
> 
> ♥ Look at this cute [pastel/punk couple](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/141338349923/happy-b-day-chouxcocoa-3-you-fantastical-fluff) by magickitt! LOOK AT THEM!  
> ♥ And here’s another [cutie Eren](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/post/141377235021/a-late-birthday-present-for-cocoachoux-because-i) featuring a lovesick Levi done by candied-cravat!  
> ♥ rebeccalerandom is spoiling us with **[two](http://rebeccalerandom.tumblr.com/post/141505378256/wooop-genderfluid-pasteleren-from-cocoachoux-s)** lovely [Erens](http://rebeccalerandom.tumblr.com/post/141559191366/and-boom-another-fanart-for-cocoachoux-s-fanfic)!  
>  ♥ lillilgirl‘s friend Maddi introduced us to [RoyalPastelEren](http://lillilgirl.tumblr.com/post/141628686631/so-a-little-while-ago-i-started-reading-the)!  
> ♥ [Harpy!Eren](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/141653349761/art-inspired-by-cocoachoux-s-fanfic-ruffled) anyone? Thank you and welcome back cetlii!  
> ♥ I finally found that eren-the-android34 was the one who submitted the adorable [Eren in a panda sweater](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/141693709695/thank-you-eren-the-android34-for-this-adorable)!  
> ♥ And last but not least, rosedahlin did an amazing [cosplay of Eren](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/141732154980/rosedahlin-hello-i-cosplayed-eren-i-did-like)!

“Good morning, CN Tower!”

“Hange, must you do that? It’s the third time now. Actually, we were also in that thing yesterday if you recall.”

Hange cackled as they wrapped their arm around a disgruntled Levi bundled in a winter jacket. “Oh, lighten up! Today’s our last day here before we’re going to the next city to visit Eren’s parents.”

Levi only huffed in annoyance as Hange waved at pretty much every person who passed by and side stepped away while they were busy and pressed close to Eren who was walking near them. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eren replied. He instantly reached for and grabbed Levi’s glove-covered hand and gave it a squeeze. “How’re you holding up?”

“Freezing. Why aren’t you wearing something warmer? I’m getting cold just by looking at you.” He gestured to the pink leather jacket Eren was wearing, but the brunet shrugged.

“It’s actually warmer than usual for our winters. There’s not even as much snow compared to last year.”

“But there’s still enough to be cold as fuck.”

Eren only hummed as the group walked to the special entrance of the convention and showed the staff their badges and were let in. “We’re inside now, happy?”

“Very.” Levi shed off all of his outerwear and held it in his arms. “Mikasa, do you want me to hold your jacket?”

“No, I’m okay,” she said.

“You really like that scarf, huh?” Eren asked when he noticed that the girl took off her mitts and coat, but not the familiar red scarf.

“Yeah. It was the first thing you gave me, remember?” Mikasa nuzzled her nose into the red fabric, breathing in the fabric softener that her dad used to wash the scarf in the hotel’s laundry machine. She was devastated that she didn’t have much of a chance to wear the scarf when they had to go back home in L.A. since it was so hot and her dad didn’t want her to overheat herself, but now she had the perfect opportunity to constantly wear it.

Eren nodded. “Of course I remember. I still can’t believe it’s only been a year since we’ve first met. It feels like I’ve known you all my whole life.”

“Aww! How sweet!” Isabel piped in. “But we also feel the same, Eren. We can’t imagine what it would be like without you.” The red-haired girl directed the last part to Levi and the man suddenly felt nervous.

Thankfully, the brunet was too busy spewing out compliments to Isabel to notice Levi’s anxiousness. The raven took a few deep breaths until he felt hands on both his shoulders.

“Levi? Are you alright?” Erwin asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine.”

Mike sniffed. “You don’t smell like it.”

Levi wanted to turn around to kick them both.

“Is it about you-know-what?” Erwin asked.

“I guess. This isn’t exactly a walk in the park you know.” Levi recalled a few weeks back when Mikasa suggested that he should propose to Eren at the convention.

At first, he rejected the idea, saying that it was way too open for his liking; and though neither he nor Eren voiced discomfort about public proposals, he would’ve preferred something a bit more intimate. However, Mikasa brought up the fact that the convention was the reason why he went to Toronto in the first place and that Eren went to this convention in order to meet him. The convention was what drew them together and they got closer because of it.

He couldn’t really fight her on that. He already had Eren’s parents’ blessings (surprisingly, the Skype call was less painful than he expected, but he assumed it was maybe because Carla was pinching Grisha’s leg from making any threats to him that they both agreed with a smile), but now was a matter of when to propose.

Even with their approval and the ring ready, he wasn’t sure how he was going to go on about it. Would he propose at an autograph signing? While they were walking around the convention? At a dealer’s booth?

Mikasa patted his knee and told him not to worry about it, saying that she would take care of it.

He did worry about it. For several weeks.

Flash forward to the present and he still didn’t have a clue of what to do, nor did Mikasa give him a hint of what she had planned for him. But then again, he could trust her on it since her plans did end up with him and Eren finally confessing to each other after all (even if it did take several months according to Mikasa).

“Levi, it will be just fine. You know Eren will say yes,” Erwin assured him.

“I know, but I want to make the moment special for him.”

Mike patted his shoulder. “All that matters is that it’s just you and him in that moment. Don’t overthink it so much.”

“Right.” Levi sighed when a staff member called for him. “I guess that’s my cue to go. Gotta go meet people and all that crap.”

“Ah, the curse of being a famous YouTuber. We understand.”

Levi struck his favorite finger at the bushy-browed man as he walked away, Eren trotting beside him since he was called to go as well.

The blond duo watched them leave them and Mikasa strolled towards them. “Ready?” she asked.

Erwin took out his cellphone and started scrolling through to look over his messages. “Just about. Seems like the sound and lighting crew are good to go. Still need to check with the back tech crew if everything is running smoothly, but Mike will accompany me to personally see it.”

“Perfect. Hange?”

“Cameras are looking good. All we need to do is set it up and make sure it’s properly streamed.”

“Okay. Aunt Isabel?”

“Farlan and I already checked with the convention committee and they gave the okay. We’re going to be directing some of the volunteers to make sure everything’s in place.”

“And we’ll be sitting front-row center to make sure we capture it all,” Armin said with Annie nodding beside him.

Reiner laughed as he patted his daughter’s head. “Such an extensive plan for a simple idea you got there, Mikasa.”

The girl only shrugged and said, “It’s what I do,” earning another bark of laughter from Reiner again.

“I think we should get everything ready now. We have just about two or so hours until Levi and Eren are done with their panel and head towards backstage before you guys go up and play,” Farlan mentioned.

“Okay. Eren’s friends said that they’ll be here in an hour so they can help anyone if they need it.”

“Got it. So the next time we’ll see each other is when it’s over, right?” Mike asked.

“If it goes according to plan, yes.”

“Don’t worry about it, my spice muffin! We’ll make sure it runs perfectly!”

Mikasa let her shoulders sag. “Thank you, everyone. I’m really happy you’re doing this for them.”

“Of course we would,” Isabel said. “What kind of friends would we be if we don’t embarrass your dad and have a lot of material to tease him about for the rest of his life?”

The group laughed at that and they discussed some minor and final details before breaking up to follow-through their part of the plan. Mikasa walked between Armin and Annie as they walked through the convention floor with Annie’s parents to explore around.

She didn’t pay much attention to everything around her, too focused on her phone to make sure everything runs smoothly. Even though she was getting a little antsy, she was also excited.

Because in a few short hours, the whole place would be filled with cheers for one happy couple.

* * *

“Levi? Is something wrong?”

“Hm?”

Eren raised a brow at Levi’s suspicious behaviour. “You seem kind of jumpy today.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Levi feigned ignorance as he glanced away.

“Levi.”

He turned around at the tone of voice and his stomach dropped when a look of concern etched over Eren’s face. Quickly, he grabbed Eren’s hands and tilted his head up to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Fuck. I’m really sorry for making you worry, Eren. It’s nothing too drastic, okay? I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

“You? Nervous?”

“Hey.” Levi let go of his hold to lightly whack on Eren’s chest. “I am human you know.”

“I know, but you were the one who took off his shirt off stage because someone asked you if you could even lift, remember?”

“I’ll admit, I was doing it just to impress you.”

Eren grinned and lean down and snatched another kiss from Levi, not caring if there were people around them to see it. “You’re funny.”

“Did it impress you though?”

Eren gave a thoughtful hum and Levi bit the bottom of his jaw for being cheeky. “Okay, okay. Yes, I was _maybe_ impressed with your washboard abs.”

Levi gave him a playful glare before nibbling the other’s lips as he pressed closer to Eren.

“Ew! You’re being lovey-dovey again!”

The two pulled away and Eren made a mock monster-growl sound before he caught Mikasa and lifted her up so she was around the same height as Eren. She laughed when the brunet pressed kisses on her cheek and looped her arms around Eren’s neck. “Hey there, you ready to be on stage?” Eren asked.

“Uh huh.”

Mikasa looked over to her dad to only see him being dragged away by a convention staff. Perfect.

She gestured Eren to put her back onto the floor, but also dragged Eren down to kneel beside her. Silently, she pulled out the box she had hidden in her back pocket and gave it to Eren. “Here.”

Eren’s eyes widened when he saw the familiar box and quickly shoved it in his jacket. “Mikasa,” he hissed in a low voice, making sure no one heard him. “Why do you have this?”

The girl shrugged. “Just thought you might need it.”

“But I’m proposing to your dad in a few days already.”

Mikasa shook her head and lightly patted Eren’s cheek. “Trust me; you’ll want to have this with you.”

Eren gave her a dubious look before standing up. “Okay then.”

Mikasa only smiled as convention staff came over to them to hook them with their microphones. She hugged her dad when he came back and was practically vibrating with excitement.

“You seem happy,” Levi noted.

Mikasa nodded as she started jumping on the spot and Eren chuckled. “That’s good then. It’s more fun to play games when you’re enthusiastic.”

“She’s just excited to put our Sims into the torture chamber she made last time.”

“You were the one who approved of her making one,” Eren pointed out.

“But that was because Bella and Cassandra Goth were constantly coming over since you were being nice to them.”

“But they’re my friends, Levi.”

“Bella doesn’t think so. She was always flirting with you even though she had Mortimer,” Levi grumbled.

Eren sighed dramatically and Mikasa rolled her eyes. Adults, honestly.

The three stood behind the curtains and waited for them to be called on stage. It wasn’t the first time they were called since _LittlePlayGround_ played on stage on the first day and Levi played the following day. Today though, was the last day of the convention and they decided to just have their little family play the _Sims 4_ since there weren’t as many attendees and the convention closed at an earlier time.

There still was a good turnout though; based on the cheers they could hear from the other side. Both Eren and Levi tweeted to their viewers what their plans were for the convention and it seemed like a good mixture of both Eren’s and Levi’s fans attending to their shows.

“Please give it up for Levi, _HueManateesStrongest_ , and Eren and Mikasa from _LittlePlayGround_!”

Eren and Levi held onto each of Mikasa’s hand as they walked on stage, smiling and waving (even Mikasa, trying to wave her parents’ arms) to the audience cheering their names.

“Hello everyone!” Eren greeted, smiling wider when he received loud cheering back. “I’m Eren, also known as Queen and King Pastel Eren, and I’m here with the adorable Mikasa and the handsome Levi, whom you’re all familiar with.”

There were more cheering and there were even some loud ‘I love you’s’ shouted from the crowd which made Levi glare. “Oi, back off. He’s mine.”

There was deafening squealing and Eren covered his face to hide his smile. Though he knew that Levi loved him, he tended to be more reserved with his affection out in the public (which Eren completely respected), so this kind of declaration wanted to make him melt.

“Okay, quiet down,” Mikasa said loudly. Eventually, the crowd’s cheering died down and Mikasa spoke again. “We’ll be playing the Sims today and there will also be a special surprise at the end.”

There was cheering in agreement, and Eren looked over to Levi with a look that said, ‘Do you know what she’s talking about?’

Levi only shrugged in reply, but his heart was racing. Was this the plan Mikasa set up for him?

As they walked over to the computer the convention set up for them, Levi discreetly checked his back pocket and sighed when he felt that the box was still there. But even so, that relief was short lived when Mikasa started up the game and started commenting.

Levi slowly calmed down as they continued playing, actually laughing when Mikasa gave in and put Bella Goth in the basement (where the torture chamber was) despite Eren’s protesting.

“She’ll still be here, but just as a ghost,” Mikasa reasoned with him after the visit from the Grim Reaper.

Levi ‘tsk’-ed. “So she’s still going to be annoying even if the afterlife. Wonderful.”

Eren reached over to swat his arm.

Mikasa only hummed and asked, “What time is it?” as nonchalantly as possible.

“We still have about 15 minutes,” Eren answered after checking his phone.

“Good.” Mikasa clicked around and controlled her dad’s Sim character and went over to Eren’s Sim to ask him on a date. “We’ll end it off with a nice date then.”

The adults had no reason to say no to her and let her control their little characters as they went on their date, preventing her from picking any of the more… _playful_ options during their date.

“Hm, it says here that Dad wants to marry Eren,” Mikasa said as she pointed the screen.

“Uh-”

Levi didn’t get the chance to finish before Mikasa interrupted with, “So let’s have him propose to Eren. What do you say, audience?”

There was more cheering and Mikasa smirked as she chose the action dialogue and she heard her dad’s sharp intake of breath when Eren’s Sim said yes to Levi’s Sim, filling the whole room with the light music from the game. “Don’t you think it’s nice that Eren said yes, Dad?” she mentioned as she paused the game.

Levi’s heart was beating rapidly as he abruptly stood up. Eren gave him a look confusion and was wondering what was going on when Levi took his hand and dragged him to the center of the stage. “Levi?”

“Eren,” Levi said loudly. The whole room went quiet, wondering what was going on. Taking a deep breath, Levi continued. “Eren, I’ve fell for you a few months before we first met here in this city a year ago. And when I first saw you in front of me, you stole my breath away, literally.”

Eren chuckled at the memory, but his breathing started to stutter once he realized what was happening.

“Ever since then, you’ve been on my mind all the time. So much has happen in the past year: we met; you moved in with us in L.A., we kissed and confessed, and had so much fun together in between all of that. We go on our little dates, we shoot videos together, and we go to all of Mikasa’s soccer matches together and cheered louder than any of the parents there. You bring so much joy in my life and my family’s and I can’t imagine it without you there.

“I know I’ve said this countless of times before, and you’re probably tired of hearing this by now, but you’ve done so much for us and I can’t thank you enough for you being you.”

Levi finally let go of Eren’s hands but then dropped to one knee, making the whole room scream and cheer, but the two didn’t pay attention to that. All Levi could see was Eren’s beautiful green and gold eyes filled with tears that were threatening to spill, and all Eren could see was Levi looking up at him with adoring eyes as he reached for his back pocket and pulled out a box.

“You make me happy and everyone else around you happy, but I want to be selfish and be the one to bring a smile on your face. I love you so much, Eren, and I was wondering…”

He opened the box to reveal the polished, flower band his maman gave him and tears started streaming down Eren’s beautiful face.

“If I can be the punk to your pastel?”

Eren didn’t even bother wiping his tears away as he continued looking at the man before him. The man he loved to wake up seeing the face to, the man he loved playing games with, and the man he loved to hold as they kissed and cuddled on the couch.

The cheering was down-right deafening, but all Eren could hear was his own heartbeat as he got down on one knee as well, almost laughing at Levi’s surprised face and took out the box from his jacket pocket and opened it to show him the ring of the bypass wings.

Sniffling to make sure he would be able to speak clearly, he smiled. “Only if I get to be your player two.”

Levi laughed and nodded, tears also prickling his eyes as they reached for Eren and pulled him in for a tight embrace. “Yes,” he whispered, and that was all Eren needed to hear before laughing and crying from joy.

The whole audience was standing up, cheering and clapping for the newly-engaged couple when they pulled away and exchanged their rings. The cheering got louder, if possible, when they stood up and they met each other in the middle for a long, passionate kiss. When they finally pulled away, their cheeks were flushed, but still laughed as they waved to the audience.

Mikasa rushed over to them and gave them a big hug, a wide smile on her face and tears in her eyes as well. Levi laughed and picked her up so that she was between them, and both he and Eren leaned forward at the same time to give her a kiss on her cheeks.

And in that moment, there was a loud sound above them. When they looked up, balloons, confetti, and streamers fell down from the ceiling, covering them, and the crowd, with it and they laughed.

High with love, Levi smiled at the audience and waved at them with his free arm. “That’s all folks! We’ll see you next year!”

More cheers and screams of ‘congratulations!’ were thrown at them as they went behind the curtains, and Levi was immediately tackled by Hange who was shrieking. “YOU DID IT!!!”

Too elated, he allowed them to smother him before they moved onto Eren for the same treatment.

He felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to see the blond giants with big smiles on their faces. “Congratulations, Levi.”

“You guys had a hand in this, didn’t you?”

Erwin chuckled. “We did help, but the real mastermind behind this is your own child.”

“Figures,” Levi snorted but he smiled anyway. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“BIG BRO!” Just like with Hange, Isabel tackled-hugged him with Farlan following behind. “Congrats on getting your queen!”

Levi shook his head in amusement and chuckled. “Thanks Izzy, Far.”

“EREN!”

There was a blur before Levi looked down to see Eren pinned by all of his friends, all laughing and congratulating him at the same time. Eren looked at him with a plea of help and Levi stuck his tongue at him and Eren garbled in exasperation.

“Levi, look!” Hange called out to him and shoved their phone in his face.

The raven squinted from the brightness of the screen, but once his eyes adjusted to it, his eyes widened. “Holy shit. Eren, we’re trending.”

“What?” was the muffled reply from the pile before all of Eren’s friends got off and pulled him up.

Everyone took out their phone and sure enough, #pastelpunk was trending and there were already images and even vines uploaded through Twitter. Levi groaned when he saw how many notifications and messages he got and pocketed his phone. “This is why I wanted to be quiet about this.”

Eren laughed and went over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek, ignoring the coos from their friends and found Levi’s hand. “But it’s not so bad, eh?”

Levi looked up and smiled, drunk with love and drowning in those loving eyes. He held Eren’s left hand with his own, their rings slightly clinking against each other and he marveled at how even though they were completely different, it was still complete somehow.

He tilted his head and captured Eren’s lips for another kiss, pulling away with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Not bad at all.”


	57. Draw My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot can happen and lives will change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has been a butt lately. o3o 
> 
> Also, fanart won't appear up here, you'll have to scroll down to see them. ;)

“Do you need any help there, Mikasa?”

Mikasa clucked her tongue. “Dad, go sit with Anne. I can do this on my own, you know that,” she said as she did ‘shoo-ing’ motions to him.

Eren laughed from his spot on the couch as he held his arms open to a dejected-looking Levi and pulled the older man close for a hug. “There, there,” Eren said as he patted Levi’s back.

“She doesn’t want me anymore Eren,” was what Eren felt, more than heard, Levi mumbling onto his neck. Eren bit his lips when Mikasa let out an exasperated groan, letting them know that she definitely heard her dad complaining.

Eren chuckled and his pats turned into rubs, trying to soothe his moping lover. “Of course she does. She just wants space for her to grow by herself and not with a doting father watching her every move.”

Levi pulled away and _pouted_ , making Eren wonder why he doesn’t like being called adorable, because that was what he was: a grumpy and adorable old man with a soft spot for his family and friends.

Eren leaned forward to give Levi a chaste kiss and pulled away with a smile. “Give her some time, Levi.”

“I will, but I’m not going to like it.”

The beauty guru sighed at that and gently pushed Levi so that he was sitting beside him just as Mikasa was walking towards them. She sat next to Eren’s other side while Levi situated himself to sit up straight and pulled his arm behind the back of the couch and rested it on Eren’s shoulder.

“Everything all set up?” Levi asked.

“Yup.”

“So this is going to be the first video that you made, recorded, and edited by yourself, eh?”

Mikasa nodded in reply and the two adults didn’t say anything else while Mikasa took the wireless mouse and clicked on the middle of the white screen. Soft background music started playing, and a hand with a marker appeared followed by Mikasa’s voiceover.

_“Hello everyone, it’s Mikasa. I’m going to be doing the ‘Draw My Life’ thing that everyone has been asking over and over again in the comment section. I know Dad for sure won’t do one because his drawings aren’t all that great-”_

The hand that was on Eren’s shoulder was used to poke the side of Mikasa’s head, eliciting giggles from her and a throaty chuckle from Eren.

_“-and Eren did one on his channel – oh, by the way, Eren is a boy while I’m recording this – Eren did one a few months ago so I thought maybe I would do one too. I’m not that good at drawing, but let’s get started.”_

Mikasa’s hand on screen started rapidly drawing the state of California and then an image of a baby next to it followed by two taller figures.

_“I was born in California in San Francisco by my Mom, who was from Japan, and by my Father, who was American but had French roots. My mom worked as a secretary at this company my father worked for and that was how they met, fell in love and got married and then had me!”_

Hearts were drawn all over the screen before it was erased.

_“I didn’t know this until Grand-mère told me this, but I was a rebellious baby.”_

In the middle of the screen was a baby crying with tears spraying out at all directions.

_“I would always cry and scream and did lots of things for my parents to not get sleep. I got better as I got older, but I was pretty bad.”_

Levi snorted just as the image was erased and was replaced with two adults and a child that was more grown up with a speech bubble above them.

_“Anyways, my mom spoke Japanese and my father knew French, so I was raised with three languages. I don’t know as much Japanese anymore, but I still know French because Dad helps me with it sometimes.”_

The screen was blank before a school-like building appeared and another Mikasa doodle of herself but bigger.

_“I made a lot of friends in school and was very good at school. I was the top of my class and I was in every sports team there was!”_

Erase and then a picture of a basketball and then a poorly-drawn soccer ball was shown.

_“I was the best in basketball and soccer, but I wasn’t allowed to be captain because I was really young. Oh, but I’m now the captain for both sports though so it’s all good. My soccer team even won gold recently and my basketball team is now in the semi-finals.”_

A peace sign was shown in the middle before it was erased. A picture of a family at a dinner table appeared.

_“Mom and Father were still working hard and did their best to make sure I had a roof over my head and went to sleep with a full stomach. I’m very grateful for all the things my parents have done for me and I loved them very much.”_

More erasing and then there were multiple drawings of the family doing various activities together.

_“We played together, singed together, danced together, and cooked together. Mom would take me to the park to make flower crowns and Father showed me how to fish. I had so much fun with them!”_

The light-hearted music changed to a sadder tone.

_“But then, one day…”_

Even though the video so far was fast-forwarded, the hand slowly drew a picture of a motorcycle and a truck crashed into each other.

_“My parents went out for dinner for their anniversary with Mom’s motorcycle. They were driving really late at night and on their way back home, a truck didn’t see them and hit them.”_

A deep breath was heard from the speakers the same time Eren felt Levi’s hand gripping on his shoulder.

_“They died on impact.”_

There was no movement and the picture of the accident stayed on the screen for several moments before it was erased. Then, there was a picture of a small and sad Mikasa.

_“I was 8 when it happened.”_

Little teardrops were drawn.

_“I cried and I cried and I cried.”_

More teardrops were drawn until every space was filled and surrounding the little girl in the middle.

_“I was so, so sad. I cried until I couldn’t anymore.”_

All of the teardrops were bring erased while Levi turned his head to the side and coughed, trying to clear the tightening feeling in his throat. Neither Mikasa nor Eren commented on it.

_“I stopped crying, but I was still sad.”_

Little Mikasa stayed in the middle of the screen, but then there were a lot of blank figures around her.

_“Even though there were some people around, I felt alone. But…”_

One by one, the figures were erased until there was two left.

_“Then, Grand-mère asked if I would like to stay with Dad and I said yes. Oh, and for those who don’t know, Dad and I are technically second cousins, once-removed. I used to call him Cousin Levi but now he’s Dad.”_

One figure was erased so it was only Mikasa and the other figure was left. The music picked up again.

_“I knew Dad before. He sometimes comes over when he comes to visit Grand-mère. He looked scary but I knew he was nice.”_

Erase and then there were two dots with an arrow that connected the top dot with the bottom one, and more figures were drawn next to the bottom dot.

_“I moved from San Francisco to L.A. with him since that was where he lived. Then I got to meet all of his friends like Hange, Auntie Isabel, and Uncle Erwin.”_

The screen was erased again before there was a drawing of a familiar face, followed by another one.

_“I met Armin because of Uncle Erwin and Uncle Mike and we became friends quickly. And Armin showed me around my new school and I met Annie there too! She sat next to me in class and she was really nice and let me borrow her extra pencil.”_

Hearts were drawn around the two faces before it was erased. Then there was a drawing of Levi with an exaggerated amount of piercings which made Eren let out a bark of laughter, ignoring the pinch he received from it.

_“Now back to Dad. He was very nice and quiet but he was always busy. He used to work as an accountant from this local company and he was always tired when he got home, so I did my best not to bother him.”_

Papers were drawn everywhere and then it was erased. Hands drew various game controllers and the signature YouTube play logo in the middle.

_“Then one day he told me that he was going to start his own YouTube channel. I thought it was weird and random and when I asked him why, he said that he wanted to stay home so he could spend more time with me. He’s such a dork isn’t he?”_

“High key dork,” Eren whispered. Levi sighed and rolled his eyes.

_“He continued working as an accountant for a few more weeks and then because of viewers like you, his channel got popular and he stayed home full-time. It was really nice to come back home to see Dad there and play games with him.”_

More erasing and then a picture of Mikasa with another person was drawn holding hands.

_“Sometimes Dad had to go for meetings or go out with his friends so Auntie Isabel usually took care of me when he does.”_

A TV, different varieties of food, and clothing articles were drawn around.

_“We had tons of fun and did many things together. One day, Auntie wanted to do my hair so she searched for hair tutorial on YouTube. And…”_

Everything was erased and then the hand moved quickly to draw a crown in the middle which made Eren smile.

_“That’s how I found about Eren! We watched the lace braided bun tutorial first and we loved it so much that Auntie and I spent the rest of the night watching more and more of Eren’s videos. I love you, Eren!”_

Eren turned to give a kiss on the top of Mikasa’s head just as the screen turned blank and then a picture of Levi appeared again.

_“Weeks go by and Dad and I went shopping before school started again and I saw these flower crowns in a store that reminded me of Mom.”_

A flower crown was drawn next to Levi.

_“Dad then said that he would make one for me and that’s how it all started.”_

Levi was erased and then the crown from before replaced his spot.

_“He found Eren’s videos!”_

The flower crown was erased and then a picture of Levi was drawn beside the crown with the addition of multiple hearts covering the screen.

_“And like a gigantic dork, he fell in love.”_

Eren grinned and turned to give Levi a kiss on the top of his head as well.

The hand erased the image and then calendars with different months were drawn.

_“Months go by and we watched every one of Eren’s videos many times over that I lost track. Eventually all of Dad’s friends knew about his crush and we teamed up to do something about it since he didn’t.”_

An airplane and tickets appeared on screen.

_“So Dad’s friends and I arranged it so that he could go to Toronto and guess what?”_

Mikasa’s hand erased everything and then she drew herself and Levi one side and then Eren on the opposite side.

_“We finally met Eren! Dad was dumb and actually choked on air when he saw Eren. Eren was prettier in real life and super nice to us too.”_

Sparkles appeared all around before it was erased and then it was just a picture of Eren and Levi left on the screen.

_“Dad liked Eren, and Eren also liked Dad but they were the biggest dorks and didn’t do anything for weeks!”_

An angry frowny face in the corner and then a house drawn around the couple and Mikasa in between.

_“When Eren moved in with us, every day was fun and happy and I thought that maybe they would confess, but they didn’t! It took weeks and weeks until I couldn’t handle it anymore and sent Eren a fan letter.”_

The angry face, house, and Mikasa was erased. A letter was drawn on the screen between the couple with a heart inside of it.

_“And finally, they got the hint and confessed.”_

Everything was once again erased and Eren and Levi were redrawn, but they were closer this time with lots of little hearts surrounding them and a little Mikasa in the corner cheering.

_“After that, they were always lovey-dovey to each other. And if you watch Eren’s vlog videos, you would see how lame they are.”_

Some hearts were erased along with the letter and Mikasa was drawn beside the couple.

_“Every day is so much and I love being with them!”_

More figures were drawn around them.

_“And even though bad things happen, things will get better. I was very sad and lonely for a long time, but now I’m super happy and love the people around me and I love meeting new people like you too!”_

A big smiley face and a heart appeared near the family.

_“Thank you so much for everything and I hope you liked this video. It’s my first time recording and editing a video by myself so I hope it’s okay. If you like it, please click the thumbs up! Make a comment in the comment section down below of things that make you happy when you’re sad._

_Armin and Annie will probably make their own ‘Draw My Life’ video soon so make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it. Oh! And subscribe to Dad’s gaming channel and Eren’s beauty channel and vlog channel too! Their links are down below in the description so check it out.”_

Everything was erased once more and Mikasa’s drawing of her face with a big smile appeared on the screen.

_“Thank you again and I’ll see you in the next video!”_

The whiteboard that was used was cleared and then the screen turned black with ‘Thank you!’ written in white text in the middle. Eren opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Mikasa’s voice from the speakers.

_“Oh! Before I forget. Everyone keeps on asking over and over again when Dad and Eren will get married. Well…”_

_“They already did.”_

_“Oh, and even though Eren was a boy when they got married, he still wanted to wear his dress since it took him a long time to make it.”_

_“The wedding was awesome and perfect! There will be a full video about their wedding on Eren’s vlog channel so be sure to subscribe to him!”_

_“Until next time, everyone. Bye now!”_

The video finally ended and Mikasa quickly closed the screen with the mouse so that it wouldn’t play the next video. She turned her head and snorted. “Come on, guys.”

Eren sniffled and Levi tried to rub his tears away at his daughter’s unamused look. “Oh, shut up,” he grumbled.

“How was the video? Is there anything I need to improve on? Were my voiceovers okay?”

“It was wonderfully done, Mikasa,” Eren answered. “Maybe enunciate your words more and slow down a bit when you’re speaking, but other than that, you did a great job at making your first video.”

Mikasa beamed at the praise and looked at her dad. “Dad?”

Levi blinked harshly and reached over and ruffled her hair. “You did good, sweetheart.”

Mikasa scrunched her nose from the childish treatment and brushed her hair down. Her phone chimed, indicating she got a text and looked at the new message with a smile. “Can I go over to Annie’s? She and Armin are doing their homework together.”

“Sure. Just text us when you get there and let us know if you’re coming back home or staying there for dinner,” Eren said.

The girl nodded and left the room to get her stuff.

Eren raised a brow when he felt a familiar weight on his shoulder and glanced down to see his husband snuggling closer to him. “Hey you.”

“Hey.”

“What’re you thinking about?” Levi had a thoughtful look on his face and Eren shifted in his spot so he could hold onto Levi better. Eren left butterfly kisses all over Levi’s face and grinned at his dazed look. “Levi?”

“I love you,” he mumbled. Levi grabbed Eren’s left hand and held it with his own, looking at the matching rings with a fond smile. They decided that their wedding rings would be just simple silver bands, and they would be the ones they would wear all the time while as the engagement rings are only worn for special occasions.

Eren followed Levi’s gaze and his heart fluttered. Sometimes he couldn’t believe that this man was now his husband and he has a new life with him.

Eren swing his legs over so that he was straddling Levi’s lap and bent down to capture Levi’s lips into a proper kiss, sighing at how nice and right it felt to have his lips on him.

“Keep it PG until I leave, please!” was Mikasa’s voice coming from outside the room.

Levi pulled away and snorted. “You going yet?”

“I’m going, I’m going! See you later!”

“Be safe!” both adults called out to her before they heard the door close.

Levi pulled Eren up and held the brunet into a bridal-style hold and got off the couch they were sitting on and walked out the room.

“Make sure you don’t hurt me,” Eren said with a playful lit in his voice.

“You’re seriously never going to let that go, aren’t you?”

“Never.”

They made it to the bedroom and Levi threw Eren onto the bed, making him shriek from the suddenness before laughing and rolling on the sheets. Levi fell on top of Eren and smirked when he tried to squirm away from the weight. He bent down and kissed those plump lips and pulled away with a smile.

“Hey, Eren.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s get married.”

“Levi, we’re already married.”

“Then let’s get married again.”

Eren shook his head fondly and reach up to hold Levi’s face with his hand. “How about we relive our honeymoon instead?”

“That sounds like a better idea.”

Laughter spilled from their lips before it was silenced with kisses. Their hands were held together and their rings made little clinking sounds when they bump into each other.

It was bliss and it was happiness.

It was pure love.

And it all started with a little girl and a click on a video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left!
> 
> Special shout out to [wadanoharuu](http://wadanoharuu.tumblr.com/post/141740695913/ahhh-lmfao-first-drawing-ive-ever-posted-here), [rosedahlin](http://rosedahlin.tumblr.com/), [imasmi](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/), [candied-cravat](http://candied-cravat.tumblr.com/), [bloodredphantom](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/141740690207/the-family-photo-from-chapter-57-of-click-on-my), [lillilgirl](http://lillilgirl.tumblr.com/)'s friend Maddi, [hi-im-pandaa](http://hi-im-pandaa.tumblr.com/post/141740882043/my-babies-they-are-so-beautiful-comh-57), [cetlii](http://cetlii.tumblr.com/post/142113191176/my-submission-for-cocoachouxs-click-on-my-heart), [falsedfaith69](http://falsedfaith69.tumblr.com/), and [nayawata](http://nayawata.tumblr.com/post/141729259749/comh-dancing-pastelpunk) for your amazing artwork! Thank you for the collab! It was fun working with you all and it was nice to see the artists coming together to contribute the second-last chapter of the story. :3


	58. Replay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farewell, little knight. Onto the next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is everyone, the final chapter! I hope you've prepared yourself because I was crying halfway writing this. Haha! :'D
> 
> Make sure to give some love to the fanart this week:
> 
> ♥ thebunnyfox drew such an [adorable Eren](http://thebunnyfox.tumblr.com/post/140606482332/queenpasteleren-is-such-a-cutie-v-inspired-by)!  
> ♥ And bloodredphantom drew me [hugging](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/142143177602/another-drawing-of-cocoachoux-with-her-cuties-3) our favourite dorks!
> 
> Also, make sure to check out [my tumblr post](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/142535458824/click-on-my-heart-giveaway-3) if you would like to enter into a giveaway as a celebration to the end of this fic! :D

Levi groaned when the sunlight hit his face, effectively making his eyes snap open and then letting out a hiss from the bright light. He turned his head and rubbed his eyes but made no move to get out of bed just yet. Instead, he patted the area next to him and frowned when his hand didn’t make contact with the body he was very familiar with.

He scrunched his brows, wondering what time it was. Too lazy to get up and ready, he decided to roll over to Eren’s spot on the bed and inhaled the scent that was on their pillow. Eren’s pillow always smelled like the lavender-scented shampoo they loved to use, and over the years, it became a comforting scent for Levi whenever Eren had to leave the city for an event or attend a convention as a special guest.

He was about a few seconds away from sleeping again when there was a knock on the door before it opened. He didn’t even lift his head when he heard a breath of laughter before the sound of footsteps approaching him and then a dip in the bed from the weight of the person sitting next to him.

Levi hummed when he felt warm fingers brushing through his hair and he turned his head so that he could kiss the palm of the hand. “Hey.”

“Morning, Levi.”

Said man fully turned to look at Eren with sleepy eyes. “What time is it?”

“A bit past 8, I’m almost done making breakfast and Mikasa is out walking Titan already. She should be back soon.”

Levi nodded, happy that he wasn’t woken up from the very energetic dog that Hange bestowed on the family a year ago. He shuffled closer to Eren so that his head rested on their lap and looked up at their face. “So, who am I in love with today?”

Eren smiled – the best way for Levi to be in a good mood in the mornings – and bent down to quickly kiss Levi on the lips before sitting up. “You’re on your wife’s lap right now.”

“Nice.”

Eren hummed in reply as she continued brushing Levi’s air with her fingers. She traced the rim of his ear, noting the lack of piercings since he had forgone wearing earrings since they were, in Levi’s words, “A pain in the ass to deal with now that I’m in my forties.”

Her fingers continued down the side of Levi’s face and then it hit the prickly hairs on his chin. She continued touching it until Levi batted her hand away, grumbling about it being itchy. “Are you going to shave today?”

“Yeah. I’m sure Mikasa wouldn’t like it if she had to kiss a porcupine before going.”

Eren giggled. “No, I’m sure she wouldn’t.”

Silence fell on them. Eren was still brushing Levi’s hair, noticing some grey strands, and then saw Levi’s frown. She sighed. “Levi…”

“She’s leaving us.”

“We’ve already talked about this,” she gently chided, holding her husband’s head when he tried to bury himself into her lap.

“I don’t want her to go, Eren.”

“I don’t either, but she wants to see the world for herself.”

Eren pried Levi off her lap and somehow managed to make him sit up straight despite his lax body that refused to move on its own. She held their hands together and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. She gave Levi a reassuring smile when she saw a tinge of sadness behind silver eyes. “She’s going to be fine, Levi. She’s young and will make mistakes, but she’ll be okay in the end. You know she can do anything life throws at her.”

Pulling away, she added with a cheeky grin, “Besides, I was younger than she is now when I snatched up the hottest YouTuber and married him.”

“You’re different though.”

Eren rolled her eyes, letting go of one hand so that she could pinch his cheek. “It’s going to happen whether or not you like it, _dear_.”

“Yes, _honey_ , I’m well aware of that.”

Eren stuck out her tongue as she got off the bed. “Go shower and shave, okay? Breakfast will be ready soon and Mikasa will be back any moment now.”

Levi huffed and puckered his lips that resembled a pout. Eren laughed at his childish behavior and gave him one more kiss before walking out of the room. Levi got off the bed when he heard Eren’s footsteps going down the stairs and headed towards their bathroom.

He showered and shaved using the shaving kit that was given to him by one of their sponsors, letting out a satisfied hum from the easy and clean shave when looked closer into the mirror to inspect himself. He used the moisturizer that Eren thought would be good for his skin and decided to forgo the eyeliner since he knew today was going to be a mess of emotions.

He walked down to the kitchen to see Mikasa already seated on the barstool, looking at her phone at the same time petting Titan on the head. “Morning,” he said as he sat next to her.

Mikasa put away her phone and gave him a small smile. “Morning, Dad. Did you sleep well?”

“Well enough. You excited for today?”

Her smile turned into a grin and it took Levi aback for a moment. Even though he knew she was 22 (sometimes her age never stuck with him since he was always in denial), small things like her smile reminded him of her devious 10-year-old self. The Mikasa right now in front of him though, grew up to be a beautiful and strong woman over the years, but in a way, she would always be his little girl.

Which was why he had a distraught look on his face which made Mikasa put her hand on his. “Dad, please.”

“Sorry, sorry. Old man feels, you know.”

Her lips quirked up and patted his hand once before removing it. Then it was immediately replaced by Titan licking his hand, trying to console him. Levi promptly stood up and went over to the sink and scrubbed his hands. While he appreciated the sentiment, he didn’t enjoy having saliva on his hands before eating. “Gross.”

He heard Mikasa and Eren laugh at his misery and Titan barking from the happy noises around him. Turning off the tap after being sufficiently clean, he sighed quietly to himself. He was going to miss being together like this.

Breakfast went by smoothly with small talk and with Titan brushing against their legs for attention. While Eren and Levi cleaned up, Mikasa excused herself so she could finish any last-minute packing with Titan following right behind her.

Eren was in the middle of cleaning dishes when she felt arms wrap around her waist and a body pressed against her back. There were no words or movement coming from Levi so she decided to continue washing the dishes, wiping her hands with a towel when she finished before turning around to give her husband a proper hug. “You’re in a cuddly mood today,” she noted. “Are you feeling lonely already?”

Levi nodded his head and Eren held him tighter. “Hey, I’m still here you know.”

“I know.” Levi lifted his head up to see green and gold. “I wonder if this was what Grisha felt when I took you away from him.”

Eren snorted. “Oh trust me, you’re not nearly as bad. You dad game isn’t as strong as his.”

“You want to bet on that?” Levi asked with a brow raised.

“No. I’m sure you have the ‘Papa Bear’ title locked in place.”

“Good.”

Eren swayed her hips and hummed, still holding onto Levi and rocked the both of them back and forth into an almost-dance. “We’ll see her again soon. We’re going to have a meet-up there in a few months and we’ll be meeting with a few game developers to test out some of their games as well.”

“I shouldn’t have brought her to Japan to visit her grandparents. I knew she would love it there.”

Eren sighed loudly. “Levi, you can’t control what she wants to do. She’s leaving in a few hours and all we can do is send her off with smiles on our faces or else she’s going to worry.”

Levi kissed Eren’s neck when he heard her annoyed voice. “Sorry, Eren, I know. I just want to whine and grumble about it.”

The brunette didn’t say anything else after that, continuing the slow dance they started in the middle of the kitchen. She felt sad about their daughter leaving too, but she knew that Mikasa would make the best of her decision, just like she had years ago when she left home to start her new life here.

There was a sound from the kitchen entrance and they turned to look at Mikasa with her phone in her hand and a gentle smile on her face. “Sorry, just wanted to capture the moment.”

Tears already stung both her parents’ eyes and Mikasa was able to see it but made no comment on it, herself feeling teary as well. She rolled her suitcases to the front entrance and patted Titan for good measure as she waited for them to be ready. She scratched the back of his ears and bent down to whisper, “Take good care of them, okay?” There was a bark as a response and a nuzzle on her cheek.

She smiled as she stood up, just in time for her parents to grab her suitcases and waited for her outside. Mikasa looked around the house and took a deep breath, knowing that it was going to be a long time until she came back. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she gave one final farewell to Titan before closing the door and locking it.

The drive to the airport was relatively quiet for the most part; no one in the car was willing to say much else of anything besides Mikasa vlogging herself about where she was heading off to. When Levi locked up the minivan (he got a newer and updated model of the old one), the family walked through the parking lot and into the busy airport. They looked around and found their group of friends already waiting for them at their meeting point.

“Mikasa! How was the drive here?” Armin greeted when they approached the group. Even though Armin wasn’t biologically either Erwin’s and Mike’s child, over the course of a few years, he grew up to be almost tall as his parents, making the family to be three blond giants.

Mikasa grinned and gave a peck on his cheek, tilting her head slightly upwards. Though she wasn’t short (about the same height as Eren to her dad’s dismay), she still wasn’t as tall as he grew up to be. “Fine. Traffic was light today. Annie’s not here yet?”

“She texted saying she’ll be here any second now. How was your morning?”

“Good, quiet. Dad seems to be having a hard time about this.”

Armin rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. Papa had to console Dad before leaving.”

“Your parents too?” another voice piped in.

Mikasa and Armin turned to see Annie with an impassive look on her face. “Sorry I’m late. The parentals were having a cry fest,” she explained as she stood on her toes and pecked them each on the cheek as a greeting. “I honestly thought they were going to detain me from coming.” Annie gestured her hand to where Reiner and Bertholdt were, being consoled by the others

Armin chuckled. “It’s fine. Our parents were the same. I just can’t believe we’re finally going.”

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Annie mentioned. “We were just special guests back when we did the _LittlePlayGround_ and now we’re going to live there.”

“At least we don’t have to find housing,” Mikasa said.

“We’re very fortunate that your grandparents are very generous for letting us stay in their extra home,” Armin said. “I’m excited to explore the country and learn the history. And no, Annie, that history video did not count.”

The petite blonde woman only shrugged at that.

“Come on, let’s go check-in before our parents actually kidnap us from going,” Mikasa suggested.

The three stood in line with the luggage they need to be checked, ignoring their moping parents a few feet away from them, watching their every move. “Holy shit,” Mikasa muttered. Her two blond companions only chuckled at that.

Once they were done, they met up with their parents and went to the food court for some drinks.

“You know what I’ll miss? I’m going to miss the American-sized drinks,” Annie said, slightly shaking her gigantic cup that once held her soda water.

“And not us, munchkin?” Reiner said.

“Especially not you,” she deadpanned.

The rest on the table laughed while Annie rubbed the side of her head as he started incessantly whining in her ear.

It was close to boarding time and they all walked towards the security area. Armin and Annie were saying their goodbyes to their parents, but Mikasa paid no attention as she was engulfed into a warm hug of her own. She felt their bodies shaking and she let out a sigh. “Hey, don’t cry. I’ll be back soon. And you two will come visit me in a few months.”

Eren was the first to pull away and she held Mikasa’s cheek as she rapidly batted her eyes to stop the incoming tears. “We know, çiçeğim, but we’re still going to miss you regardless.”

“I know, but I’ll call home and upload as many videos as I can, okay? And Dad,” she gently pushed him away and her eyes started to water when she saw little tears stream down his face. “Don’t worry about me. Remember when I was deciding whether or not to go through with this, you told me to make a choice with no regrets, yeah?”

“I retract my statement,” he muttered.

Mikasa chuckled. “You’re still going to be the same dork the next time I see you.” She hugged them both tightly and let out a shuddered breath. “Thank you for all these years and believing in me. I love you.” She kissed both of their cheeks and laughed. “And thanks for shaving, Dad.”

Levi smiled when she looked at him with a matching smile and a few tears streaming down her cheeks. “Anytime, sweetheart.”

“Mikasa? It’s time for us to go now.”

She pulled away and turned to look at her friends who looked just as bad as she did and their parents were just like hers. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Levi watched with a heavy heart as they said their final farewells and gave one more smile to Mikasa before she turned away and went through the security line. He felt Eren’s body pressed close to him and he leaned against her. “There she goes,” she whispered.

“There she goes,” he repeated.

“It’s going to be quiet around the house, eh?”

“Not with the stupid dog it won’t.”

“Levi,” she chided.

“Just trying to think of happy thoughts, Eren.”

She leaned down to kiss him briefly on the lips. “You’re doing great. Better than I expected.”

“What? Did you think that I would drag her out of here and tie her up in her room?”

“Close, but I know you actually wouldn’t. Deep down, you want her to find her wings.”

Levi only grunted at that and they both raised a brow when they received a text. Taking out their phones they laughed when Mikasa sent them a selfie with the airplanes in the background with the caption, ‘Look at all these big ass planes.’

“She certainly takes after you,” Eren mused.

“Yeah, she certainly does,” he replied back with a fond smile, saving the picture.

There was a loud clap that made them turn around to see Erwin standing behind them. “Alright then, no more moping around. We have work to do. The studio isn’t going to build itself.”

“Ugh, do we have to?” Levi complained.

“Didn’t you receive Hange’s texts?”

“No, I blocked them.”

“Well, _I_ did,” Eren said. “They said that there are some complications with the wiring and Farlan is out with Isabel to get more supplies and they need our help.”

“Shit,” Levi muttered as the group started walking towards the exit. “Why did we decide on having a studio again?”

“So that we’re able to expand and grow,” Eren said simply. “Mikasa isn’t the only one who’s making big decisions in life you know. This is going to be a game changer for us now that we’ve combined our channels into one internet entertainment company along with Connie and Sasha’s channel.”

Eren and Levi got into their car and before Eren could put on her seatbelt, Levi pulled her in for a kiss, leaving her breathless when he pulled away. “What was that for?” she asked, trying to straightened herself as he pulled out of the parking spot.

“Just for being here with me.”

She hummed with a satisfied smile on her face. Eren held onto one of Levi’s hand as he steered with the other, giving him a slight squeeze as she looked out the window.

Mikasa was going to be in the sky in a few hours, ready to start with their new life, and Eren silently wished her the best as she turned to look at Levi.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Eren.”

“You know, now that Mikasa’s gone…”

“Yeah?”

“We can have sex as much as we want now.”

Eren yelped when Levi almost swerved into the other lane, curse after curse spilling from his lips. “Fucking hell, Eren!”

She only laughed as he grumbled, trying to regain control on the blush on his face. “Right after we finish the bullshit at the studio, you better make good on your word, Eren.”

“I will, babe. And I’ll ask Hange to take care of Titan for us.”

“Sounds like the perfect plan.”

She squeezed his hand once more and grinned as she looked out into the city in front of them where their new studio was and where their next new adventure would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Special shoutout to [bloodredphantom](http://bloodredphantom.tumblr.com/post/142528535527/decided-to-make-a-comic-to-celebrate-the) for the comic that made me cry. :'D)
> 
> Thank you so so much for the past few months my lovelies. From those who followed this fic from the beginning to those who recently stumbled upon this fic, thank you so much! Thank you to those who hit kudos and those who took the time to leave a comment. Trust me when I say it makes my day and motivates me to write more. I literally can’t thank you all enough. This has been an undertaking for me as COMH was the first fanfic I contributed to this fandom. I’ve slowly gained more confidence into writing more and I’ve met (some in real life!) and talked with a lot of wonderful people. ♥ ♥ ♥ I want to say so much more but I know I’m going to start crying again so thank you. I love you all and I hope you still stick with me for my other writing adventures I have in mind. (I still need to write about their wedding so stay tuned for that!)
> 
> (Also, looking back at the first chapter makes me cringe so I’ll be editing this whole thing slowly but surely lol)
> 
> Hopefully you read my post on [tumblr](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/142535458824/click-on-my-heart-giveaway-3) first before scrolling all the way down here m'dear. ;) Anyways, here is the [link](http://goo.gl/forms/Lf7xO6ZsmE) to the form. Best of luck! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

**Author's Note:**

> I also have tumblr ([cocoachoux](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/)) where I post chapters there before on AO3, and possibly post drabbles time to time.
> 
> Thank you for reading! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Click on my Heart [Fancomic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12342891) by [tka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tka/pseuds/tka)




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